Kitty S. Hawk

You may know the story of Orville and Wilbur Wright. By day, Wilbur and Orville Wright owned and operated the Wright Cycle Exchange Company. The brothers fixed broken bicycles and designed and built them, too. By night, they worked on their pride and joy. Together, they made the perfect pair- Wilbur dreamed up the designs; Orville built the things.

But do you know the story of the stowaway who shared their adventure- the stowaway with 9 lives. Kitty, named Katharine, accompanied Wilbur from Dayton, Ohio to the Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Orville followed. The trip took Wilbur and Kitty by wagon, train, steamer, skiff and schooner.

You might wonder why the Kill Devil Hills. Well, Orville and Wilbur had contacted the United States Weather Bureau and found the perfect spot to test their invention- their pride and joy. The Kill Devil Hills had strong winds, soft sands and very few people. Orville and Wilbur did not want the whole world to know just what they were up to.

The journey from Dayton to the Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks of North Carolina was an adventure by itself, but that's where the real adventure began. And Kitty, with her nine lives, was in the thick of it from start to finish.