OTHER RESOURCES

A very readable volume about the Grand Central Air Terminal is this book:

Underwood, John. 1984. Madcaps, Millionaires and 'Mose'. Heritage Press, Glendale, CA. 144pp.

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Thanks to Guest Editor Bob Woodling for help researching this page.

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I'm looking for information and photographs of Bliss and his airplane to include on this page. If you have some you'd like to share, please click this FORM to contact me.

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LOREN CLINTON "Kid" BLISS, Jr.

Loren C. Bliss was born July 6, 1904 at Somonauk, IL. The 1910 U.S. Census places him at age 5 living with his family in Witten, SD. His father, Loren, Sr. (32) was a farmer, as were most of the other heads of households listed on the same Census page. His mother, Mabel (28) listed no occupation, but we know that she worked hard at the farm and in taking care of Loren and his older sister, Josephine (8).

By the time of the 1920 Census, the family had moved to Lake Precinct in Butte County, NB. His father was listed as a "General Farmer" and his sister, at age 18, was not with the family at that time. Perhaps she went off to college. His mother's occupation was cited as "None," but we know better.

By the 1930 Census, Bliss at age 25 had moved away from his family and was living at 9939 Magnolia Avenue, Riverside, CA. His home today, via Google Earth, is now a health care clinic, Magnolia Clinica Medica Familiar, with no sign of residences or structures of 1930s vintage nearby. He had been married ca. 1924 to Gladys (26) and they had given birth to Loren Dixon (ca. 1926) who was now 3 years old. Bliss' occupation was listed as a "Dealer" in "Poultry."

They must have recently moved to 9939 Magnolia, because a Riverside city directory for 1927, as did the 1929 directory, cited their address as 915 Magnolia, a few blocks away.

They remained at 9939 throughout most of the 1930s. The 1934 and 1937 Riverside city directories list the same address, and Bliss remained in the poultry business.

"Kid" Bliss landed once at the Grand Central Air Terminal (GCAT), on Sunday, June 7, 1931 at 10:58AM. He flew solo in the Curtiss Junior identified in the Register by tower operator Anton Lygum as NC666V. The destination cited was "Local," indicating that, this being a Sunday, Bliss was probably out for a recreational morning of early summer flight.

Although Bliss is signed in the Register only once, NC666V appears at least 34 times during April-July, 1931. It was owned by the Curtiss-Wright Flying Service, a flying school and aviation services organization based at GCAT. NC666V seemed to be a rental airplane used by a number of students and their GCAT instructors. Among the instructors who flew in it were Register pilots Mason Menefee and Nate Morse.

Bliss Accident, Western Flying, 1935 (Source: Woodling)

Western Flying, 1935
L. C. "Kid" Bliss, Riverside's leading poultry dealer, is back on both feet again after spending one week in the hospital. "Kid" gave a great demonstration before a Sunday crowd of spectators of how he could "flat spin" a plane. The catch came when Bliss discovered he had neglected to learn how to recover from "flat spins." Bliss says that the Arlington Airport and that he had a plane for sale for about $14. Ask “Kid” where his parachute was. Will his face get red!

 

In 1935 Bliss ran into a little trouble with an airplane he was flying. A filler in the aviation magazine Western Flying, right, poked a little fun at him, even though his injuries required a week in the hospital. The next to last sentence doesn't make sense, but that's what the article said.

I could not find an entry for Bliss in the 1940 Census. At some point he and Gladys parted ways, because other information states that he was married to Dorothy M. (Spencer) Bliss (1922-2003). They had one daughter, Barbara (1945-1984).

I don't have a lot of personal information about Bliss or his business. I do not know if or how he used aviation after his landing at GCAT. I imagine with his chicken ranches and other land holdings (see below), having a pilot's certificate and access to an airplane would be a real convenience. Likewise, I do not have information regarding any military service he might have performed. Certainly his long experience with poultry farming would have made him a critical skill to the nation during war, so perhaps he was considered more valuable producing food, fertilizer and feathers than he would be on the front lines somewhere in the world. If you have any information regarding his life, please let me KNOW.

L.C. Bliss, 1957 (Source: Woodling)

 

The Humboldt Standard (Eureka, CA) for September 27, 1957 told of a meeting of the State of California Fish & Game Commission, which praised Bliss for opening up his lands to deer hunting. He appeared to be conscious and supportive of land use and conservation efforts by the State. See the second paragraph, below, for another example of his support. A photograph accompanied the September 27th article and that photo is at left. Sorry to say, I have no better one. If you do and would like to share, please let me KNOW.

"Kid" Bliss, Obituary, Ca. December, 1985 (Source: Woodling)

 

Bliss has a sparse Web presence, mostly focusing on some public records involving lawsuits he was a part of. For example, Bliss and wife Dorothy were involved in a suit against Pacific Gas & Electric that was dismissed. The dismissal was documented in the Humboldt Standard of October 22, 1957. The nature of the suit was not described.

In August, 1979, Bliss settled a law suit with the State of California regarding land and a couple of coastal lakes that he owned adjacent to Pelican Bay in northern California. The text of the settlement is at the link. Briefly, the state wanted the land and the lakes for recreational purposes. Bliss owned the land surrounding two salt lakes on the property. He sold the land to the State for a handsome $5 million, but the lakes were claimed both by the state and by Bliss. Bliss, apparently magnanimously, donated any title he had to the lakes to the State, thus settling the matter and avoiding a prolonged legal debate of the issue. Formalization of the agreement was performed by the State on August 14, 1980 at the link.

"Kid" Bliss, Grave Marker, Ca. December, 1985 (Source: findagrave)

 

"Kid" Bliss passed away Dec. 24, 1985 as documented in his obituary, right, that appeared in an unidentified newspaper (Crescent City?) near that date. He had continued with his poultry ranching for 50 years.

Note that he had at least two more children with Dorothy, Mike and Delores. Delores preceded him in death. His Ingomar Club is still in operation; still exclusive. His family was relatively tight-knit; most residing in the Crescent City area at the time of his passing. He is buried at Crescent City, Del Norte County,CA. His grave marker is above.

First wife Gladys (1909-1989) was living in Washington State at the time of the 1940 U.S. Census. She was living with her parents and her two children Dixon (13) and Barbara (8). Loren Dixon Bliss passed away in 2004. His obituary, from the Lewiston Morning Tribune (ID), Thursday, April 8, 2004, is below.

Deceased Name: Loren (Dick) Bliss, 77, Lewiston

Loren D. (Dick) Bliss passed away Monday, April 5, 2004, at Tri-State Memorial Hospital in Clarkston from complications of pneumonia. Dick was born July 12, 1926, in Anaheim, Calif., to Loren Clinton Bliss and Gladys Elizabeth McCool Bliss. He was educated in Arlington, Calif., through grade school and high school.

Dick and Laura Mae Parke were married Jan. 30, 1944, in Reno, Nev. A disabled Navy veteran, Dick served aboard the USS Nicholas, a destroyer in the Pacific during World War II. He received numerous commendations and was a survivor of 17 major sea battles. Dick and Laura Mae Bliss lived in Fallon, Nev., until 1965. They moved to Lewiston, where Dick was a journeyman meat cutter for M&K Meats. Mr. and Mrs. Bliss, along with Mr. and Mrs. Curley Hieronymus, opened B&C Meats, a federal meat plant and distributorship. Mr. Bliss retired from that business in 1981. B&C still operates in the same Lewiston location today. Dick Bliss created the "bite sized steak," a popular part of valley dining.

Dick was an avid hunter and fisherman. He is listed in the Boone & Crocket records for a moose he got on a hunting trip in Canada with his son, David. He made semi-annual fishing trips to Westport, Wash., where he was a favorite among other anglers. Mr. Bliss passed his love of the out-of-doors on to his sons and grandchildren. His wife, Laura Mae, preceded him in death; as well as his eldest son, James D. Bliss; and a half-sister, Delores Bliss.

Survivors are sons Dan Bliss of Lewiston and David Bliss of Puyallup; sister Barbara Mace of Placerville, Calif.; granddaughter Lori Massey of Sandy Springs, Md.; grandsons Marcus D. Bliss of Coal Township, Pa., Matthew D. Bliss of Tacoma and Nicholas P. Bliss of Seattle; half-brother Mike Bliss of Crescent City, Calif.; and four great-grandchildren. The service is at 11 a.m. Saturday at Mountain View Funeral Home in Lewiston. The Rev. Bill Pierce of Grace Lutheran Church will officiate. There will be a memorial graveside gathering after the service.

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