Indiana @ 2,000 Feet

This image appeared in the June 7, 1909 Indianapolis News and shows Indianapolis Motor Speedway President and Founder Carl Fisher and his ballooning mentor Captain George L. Bumbaugh ascending into competition in the national balloon racing championship on June 5, 1909. Note the American flags that are tied into the ropes around the balloon. This is how Fisher festooned the craft for competition.
 
The caption to this photo reads:
 
"The balloon Indiana, carrying C.G. Fisher, pilot, and Capt. G.L. Bumbaugh, as aid. The picture was taken when the balloon the was at an estimated height of two thousand feet. It is one of the most perfect obtained by the hundreds of amateur and professional photographers who were busy with cameras. The fleecy clouds form a perfect background for the big balloon."
 
 
There was a lot going on at the Speedway at the moment this photo was taken. The track was under construction as management prepared for its first motorized event - a Federation of American Motorcyclists (FAM) motorcycle race as well as its first automobile races. A team of laborers using mules and steam shovels were grading the racing surface and banking turns.