Pancho Barnes

Florence Lowe Barnes, born Florence Leontine Lowe but known as Pancho Barnes for most of her life, was a pioneer of women's aviation and the owner of the celebrated Happy Bottom Riding Club located on land annexed into Edwards Air Force Base in southern California's Antelope Valley in the southwestern United States.

After the fire

After the Rancho Oro Verde was destroyed, Pancho was so disgusted that she moved to Cantil, California, with hopes of restarting a similar ranch there. In 1961, a change in Air Force leadership resulted in Pancho being reinvited back to Edwards Air Force Base. Resettling in nearby Boron, California, Pancho once again became a commonplace figure at the base and was referred to as the "Mother of Edwards AFB". The officer's mess at Edwards was renamed the Pancho Barnes Room, and the wounds began to heal as Pancho reconnected with many old-timers.

Related Topics:
Cantil, California - 1961 - Boron, California

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