Legend has it that
Charles Dellschau (1830-1923) was the
draftsman for the secret
Sonora Aero Club, a collective of 60 or so mostly German immigrants who reportedly constructed
dirigible like aircraft in California in the 1850's. One club member was said to have discovered
suppe -- the magic antigravity fuel alleged to have lifted the craft.
There were sightings of these 'airships', tenuously linked back to the club, up to
the end of the 20th century.
Dellschau, described variously as butcher, inventor, civil war spy, scientist and
America's first visionary artist, retired at age 70 in Texas and
spent the last 2 decades of his life as a recluse,
producing mixed media art works that
record the craft and workings of the fabled Sonora Aero Club.
They are accompanied by cryptic symbols, newsprint about aircraft and detailed notebooks and were salvaged from the garbage in 1967.
His artworks were selling for $15,000 each 5 years ago. A would-be author and long-time sleuth believes he has unlocked the mysteries of
Dellschau's cryptic accoutrements and may be
publishing a book on the legends this year.
via
posted by peacay
on Jun 15, 2005 -
11 comments
