In 1890, the United States Census Bureau declared that the American frontier had ceased to exist—no longer could a distinct “frontier line” be drawn across the West. Just three years later, at the 1893 meeting of the American Historical Association in Chicago, historian Frederick Jackson Turner argued that the frontier had profoundly shaped American society and culture. With the West now considered settled, Turner posed a pivotal question: what new frontiers would define America’s future?

Air and space became the new frontier for modern American pioneers—and few embodied that spirit more than Amelia Earhart (1897–1937). Drawn by the enduring mystique of the Old West, Earhart and her husband, George Putnam (1887–1950), visited Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1934. In her article “Flying and Fly-Fishing,” published in the December 1934 issue of Outdoor Life, Earhart wrote: “At all events, the Yellowstone Park region, tucked into the northwestern corner of Wyoming, may be but a day’s journey from the eastern seaboard for modern vacationists. This time Mr. Putnam and I drove, instead of flying.”

Carl M. Dunrud (1891-1976) of the Double Dee Ranch served as Earhart’s guide. He promised to build her a cabin in Wyoming where she could vacation. Dunrud later recalled, “Before Amelia left on her last flight she sent many of her personal belongings to be stored at the Double Dee Ranch until she could enjoy them at her cabin. One item was the leather flight jacket she had used in her flight across the Atlantic. It showed much wear because she also used it during the time she was roughing it at the ranch.”

On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan (1893–1937), vanished over the Pacific Ocean during her attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world. Earhart’s flight jacket, donated by Carl Dunrud and his family, reflects both her fascination with the “Old West” and her pioneering spirit in exploring new frontiers.