In January of 1930, the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), under the command of Major Ralph Royce, flew a group of 22 airplanes on a winter equipment testing mission from Selfridge Field in Mount Clemens, Michigan, to Newman Lake, northeast of Spokane, Washington and return.

Known as the "Arctic Patrol", the 1st Pursuit Group (18 Curtiss P-1C fighters, two C-9 Ford transports, one C-1 Douglas transport, and one 02-K Douglas observation aircraft) landed at the new Helena Municipal Airport on their return to Michigan.

The locomotive seen in the background of the above photo was brought in on a Northern Pacific spur track to supply heat, via steam hoses, to the airplane engines. The maximum and minimum temperatures recorded in Helena on Jan. 22 1930 were -1 and -18.