Amelia Earhart was an American aircraft pilot who set numerous records, including being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She was born in Kansas on July 24, 1897, and disappeared on a flight over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937. Amelia's father was a lawyer for the Rock Island Railroad, and the family moved many times during Amelia's childhood because of her father's job.

They lived in Des Moines for several years, where Amelia saw her first airplane at the Iowa State Fair in 1908, when she was ten years old.
The family lived at the following addresses while in Des Moines:

1908- 1909- 1443 8th Street
1910- 1530 8th Street
1911- 4201 University Avenue
1912- 3002 Cottage Grove Avenue

In 1913, her father was dismissed from his job due to
alcoholism, and the family left Des Moines.

Some recollections of her Des Moines
years may be found in the following

"Des Moines Friends Recall Her School Days Here,"
Des Moines Tribune, May 21, 1922.

"Friends Remember Her Des Moines School Days,"
Des Moines Register, May 21, 1932.

"Sees Regular Trans-Atlantic Flying,"
Des Moines Tribune, October 18, 1933.

"Des Moines Cousin, Mrs. Harry T. Watts, Thrilled by Her Flights,"
Des Moines Register," January 13, 1935.

Additional source
Amelia Earhart, Explorers and Discoverers of the World,
Gale Research, 1993.