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The amazing Savidges

Kristen Sindelar
Jul 3, 2026
4 hrs ago

Deloit Sidebar 1.jpg — Employees of the Walter Savidge Amusement Company line up in this photo taken in 1928.

Photo courtesy of Wayne County Historical Museum

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In its heyday, Deloit was far from being a sleepy, doldrum community in rural Nebraska. It is the birthplace of the man behind a prominent 20th century traveling entertainment show and where daredevil farm boys literally found their wings.

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Deloit Sidebar 2.jpg — Walter and Mabel Savidge

Photos courtesy of Wayne County Historical Museum

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Deloit Sidebar 3.jpg — About the same time as the Wright Brothers, seven Savidge brothers were inventing their own airplanes on the family farm at Deloit, Neb.

“Intersections of Place, Time, and Entertainment in Rural Nebraska in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries” by Rebecca A. Buller, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Digital Commons

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Deloit Sidebar 4.JPG — The airplane on Ewing’s welcome sign and the historical marker in the background pay tribute to the “Sandhills Aviators” from nearby Deloit, Neb.

Midwest Messenger photo by Kristen Sindelar

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Deloit Sidebar 5.JPG — Painted on the side of the library at Ewing, Neb,. is the Curtiss-style biplane built by the seven Savidge brothers.
Midwest Messenger photo by Kristen Sindelar

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Reporter Kristen Sindelar has loved agriculture her entire life, coming from a diversified farm with three generations working side-by-side in northeastern Nebraska. Reach her at Kristen.Sindelar@midwestmessenger.com.