A very popular attraction at Elitch Gardens was Ivy Baldwin. From 1890 to 1907,
he made a balloon ascent every Saturday and Sunday. He varied his balloon routine
by doing stunts on a trapeze as he ascended. In 1902, for the first time, Ivy Baldwin
parachuted to earth from the balloon. One Fourth of July as he slid down the rope
of the balloon, his suit caught fire, and he spent the next week recovering from his
burns. For the occasion, Baldwin had ordered an asbestos suit to avoid this risk, but
it failed to be delivered on time for his performance.
[Borrillo, Theodore A. Denver’s Historic Elitch Theatre: A nostalgic journey, 2012]
Baldwin is credited with being the first aviator to be shot down during wartime in the U.S. during the Spanish–American War.
He celebrated his 82nd birthday by tightrope walking 125-feet above a canyon formed by the South Boulder Creek in Colorado, a crossing he’d made 80 times in 40 years. Ivy Baldwin lived many years in Eldorado Canyon, in Boulder County, Colorado, where he died, not in a balloon mishap, but in bed, at his home on Oct. 8, 1953, at the age of 87.
[“Ivy Baldwin.” Wikipedia, July 31, 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_Baldwin]
