In the early 20th century, the City of Fillmore fell for a smooth-talking con man. He promised a monorail to Piru Lake—cars with propellers to glide swiftly over the land. Models and elaborate plans were presented, a station was designed, and the town eagerly invested. Then, as suddenly as he appeared, the builder and the town’s money vanished.
Ventura nearly suffered the same fate. An inventor promised to bring a flying machine to the city, claiming he could launch it from the end of Seaward Street, using the harbor as a runway. At the time, the area was sparsely developed, with only a large barn used for traveling shows.
News of the Wright Brothers and other aviation pioneers had captured the public imagination, and Ventura’s leaders were eager to put their city on the map as an aviation hub. They provided the barn rent-free, covered his expenses, and watched in anticipation as the genius worked—secretly, he claimed, to protect his patents…