February 24, 1908

The Hot Springs Airship Company was formed by Joel Troutt Rice and John A. Riggs. “Joe” Rice worked with airships for more than ten years and had two flying-machine patents to his name by 1901. His first creation was The Arkansas Traveler. Riggs, the airship company’s treasurer, convinced Rice to move to New York, where Rice created an improved model, the American Eagle. It, however, never flew, and the legal battle that erupted between Rice and Riggs brought all work to a halt.