At the Happy Bottom Riding Club, Pancho Barnes knew how to keep the good times rolling. During the Holidays of 1948 she cooked up an outrageous idea: an airborne treasure hunt! It would be the first of many held at the Happy Bottom Riding Club with the first one hosted on January 30, 1949.
Pilots took off from her airstrip, landed at four fields, and chased clues leading to a chest filled with 100 silver dollars, a gold-buckled belt and other goodies. Pancho’s flyer set the tone:
“Be sure to wear your Buccaneer clothes.”
“Fly in, tie down for free, camp for free or see if we can sardine you into a bunk.”
The weekend kicked off with a pirates’ dance and ended with a big beef barbecue, all pure Pancho style.
Later that year, she hosted her own air races, complete with stunts, parachute jumps, and spot landings. But the big moment came in 1949, when the national Bendix Air Races launched nearby. Pancho, naturally, threw a legendary party.
On any given night, the Happy Bottom crowd might include Errol Flynn, Howard Hughes, Edgar Bergen, Veronica Lake, Shelley Winters, Danny Kaye, Rudd Weatherwax (with Lassie!), a host of radio and early TV stars in addition to military men with their wives, and Air Force generals.
At Pancho’s, fun was mandatory, friendship was guaranteed, and mischief was always in the air.
Below is an early draft of Pancho’s letter inviting members to the first treasure hunt:
Below are clues for the treasure hunt:
