Sunset memorial honoring the tragedy of United Flight 629 on Friday

WELD COUNTY, Colo. — Sixty-nine years ago Friday, a terrorist attack in the skies of Colorado left a painful mark that is still felt in Weld County.

Denver7 has brought many stories about the tragic explosion of United Flight 629 because many Coloradans have yet to know what happened on that cold November night in 1955.

There has never been a memorial or marker built to honor the victims, their families and the community of first responders and civilian heroes who provided aid in the beet fields where 44 people were killed.

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This year, as November 69 marks the 69th anniversary of that terrible night and the 70th anniversary of the tragedy approaches next year, a multi-pronged effort is underway to build permanent memorials, as well as to further share the community’s stories and honor the victims of one of Colorado’s tragedies. the darkest days.

It was about seven o’clock in the evening on November 1, 1955.

United Airlines Flight 629 was a four-engine DC 6 passenger jet loaded with crew, passengers, cargo and fuel for the flight from Denver to Portland, Oregon, and took off quickly from Stapleton Airport in the northwest.

A few minutes laterStapleton Tower controllers noticed a bright flash in the sky and witnesses near Longmont heard and saw a huge explosion in the night sky. There was little anyone could do as debris rained down on Weld County’s beet fields.

As recovery efforts continued, the investigation quickly focused on the DC 6’s cargo hold.

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The Denver Police Museum eventually came into possession of part of the mangled fuselage of Flight 629, which is now on display at the Colorado Museum of History.

“It’s pretty heavy metal, it’s just bent and torn apart,” said Jason Hanson, chief creative officer at History Colorado. “I think the force of the explosion really comes through when you look at it.”

Evidence from crushed pieces of the plane helped reveal the heinous actions of John Gilbert Graham. outside a Colorado courtroom a year after the downing of Flight 629.

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He planted a homemade bomb in his own mother’s suitcase. When that time bomb exploded over Longmont, it killed Daisy King, Graham’s mother, and 43 other passengers.

“There was a distinct smell of dynamite here, so they knew from the very beginning that something was wrong,” said Michael Hesse. President of the Denver Police Museum. “And when they called Mr. Hoover from the FBI, he ordered them to immediately take all the luggage, spread it out and connect the luggage with the victims.”

Hesse reported that although the DC 6 exploded in mid-air, most of the luggage remained intact.

“Except for one bag – just common sense. The thorough police work that led up to this and this bag obviously put them on the right track and ultimately allowed them to solve the problem,” Hesse added.

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As the 70th anniversary approaches next November, Gessen is one of the community members working to build a permanent memorial to Flight 629.

“There was no awareness that this happened. It was almost forgotten,” Hesse said. “I’ve spent the last few years trying to figure out why that is. And I think part of what happened in 1955, just 10 years after the end of World War II, after the Korean War, I think the public became a little more familiar with death.”

Gessen said the plan is to build a memorial near the entrance to the Flyteco Tower, on the site of the old Stapleton Airport control tower.

“This is where the plane took off en route to Portland on Nov. 1, 1955, and so having it here—when visitors come—will hopefully serve as a learning opportunity,” Gessen said. ”

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The memorial will be shaped like the fuselage of an airplane and will face northwest, in the direction in which the airplane took off from the airport.”

The memorial will include the names of passengers and crew members and will also be dedicated to the first responders.

“There will be logos of the various agencies that responded. The FBI, the Denver Police Department, the Denver District Attorney, the Weld and Larimer County Sheriffs, the volunteer firefighters, as well as the citizens, we are going to acknowledge that.”

The goal is to open the memorial on November 1, 2025. They hope to achieve this by inviting the public to purchase Flight 629 challenge coins to help fund the memorial.

Mission to build a memorial to the bombing of Flight 629 in Colorado.

“This challenge coin that we designed in honor of the victims will also raise awareness and donations so that we can pay for the memorial in front of the tower here,” Gessen said.

Challenge Coins will be available for purchase on the Denver Police Museum website..

“They were all human. There have been countless missed birthdays, anniversaries and the like,” Hesse said. It was a completely senseless tragedy. “It breaks your heart, but we want families to know that their loved ones are not forgotten.”

Colorado history also contributes to raise awareness. A special exhibition is planned for the 70th anniversary celebrations next November.

“There will be an exhibition here to help people understand this history. I think we’re going to put it in a very high-traffic area, so we’re hoping that people who aren’t familiar with the story will be interested in it and want to know more,” Hanson said. “We always hope that people see our exhibitions and want to know more when they leave, that we inspire and spark some curiosity, and that they go and find out more on their own.”

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And as more and more Coloradans learn of the tragedy, Becky Tesone… Vice President of the Flight 629 Memorial Committee hopes they will open their hearts and help finally build a permanent memorial in Weld County as the 70th anniversary approaches.

“They never had a monument and never had their names read to them or lit candles in their honor,” Tesone said. “And so we want to do this to reveal what will happen a year after November 1, which is the 70th anniversary of the families returning.”

The idea for a future permanent memorial in Weld County where the plane crashed is still in the works, but the details are starting to come together.

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“We imagine it will be four sides. On one side there will be names, on two sides there will be photographs of places that were all connected,” Tesone said. “Greeley was connected to the arsenal where the bodies were sent.” Stapleton is where they flew out and then came back and reassembled the plane. So that’s the key location, that’s where FlyteCo is now.”

She said she hopes to install four benches along the memorial for people to reflect on, with coverings that will protect visitors and the memorial from Colorado’s seasons.

“And on top of it we will have a two-foot by four-foot plane made of bronze. And that’s the beauty of it,” Tesone said. “This was a huge tragedy that changed the airport’s laws on checking our luggage and introduced new security rules. And then the story about how Channel 7 was the first to get into the courtroom at that time.”

The United Airlines Flight 629 bombing and the path to forgiveness

The future memorial will be a place where families of victims and those who responded can reflect, gather and heal. And in these uncertain times, the Flight 629 Memorial Committee hopes the memorial will serve as a place to celebrate the service and sacrifice of first responders, emergency responders and everyday neighbors whose courage and tenacity are an example of how people can come together.

“We need $30,000 and the goal is by the 31st of this month. I’m sure Landmark Monument will allow us to stretch it out a little bit, but they need to order what we’re going to put there,” Tesone said. “And we need a total of $150,000, which we could get in the near future just to lay the cement.”

Flight 629 Memorial Committee – which is registered as a non-profit organization – created a GoFundMe to raise funds.

“I know there are people who can write a check for all this. I know there are people who can give us $5, $10, and it all makes a difference,” Tesone said. “It all matters because what they put their money into is what they are a part of in their heart. And that’s what these people’s hearts need healing.”

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This Friday marks the 69th anniversary of the bombing of United Flight 629. The public is invited to attend the first-ever memorial event, which will include a candle lighting, reading of the victims’ names and time for reflection.

‘Remember 44 minutes at 6 p.m. at Carbon Valley Lutheran Church, 10916 Cimarron St. in Firestone.

Denver7 will keep you updated on the memorial’s progress, and you can join the group’s efforts through Flight 629 Memorial Facebook page.

• You can watch this video report in the player below.

‘Remember 44’: Sunset memorial for United Flight 629 tragedy on Friday