Pictured here is former Greeley resident and inventor Paul Lewis with his car, Fascination. The original prototype had an airplane propeller on the backend as seen in this July 3, 1969 advertisement in The Greeley Tribune. Lewis established the company Highway Aircraft Corporation in Sidney, NE in 1971 to get the car into production, but was largely unsuccessful with only five cars being made, one of which was the redesigned prototype.
The photograph of Lewis was taken by Greeley photographer Lew Dakan (1907-2000). He had a photography studio that operated in Greeley from 1948 until 1992. Dakan’s subject matter covered a broad range, from still life and portrait photography to event and aerial photography. His interest in aerial photography began when the subject was covered in his civil engineering studies at the University of Colorado. He was named the first qualified aerial photographer in the western United States in 1970 by the Photographers of America.
From now until January 5, 2020, visitors to the Greeley History Museum can explore over 100 years of photographic history of Northern Colorado through the work of Lew Dakan and his photographer son, Denny Dakan.
By Katie Ross, Assistant Curator of Collections, City of Greeley Museums
Paul Lewis and his car Fascination, 1970, photographed by Lew Dakan. 2007.44.0015.1, City of Greeley Museums, Permanent Collection, © The Lew Dakan Archive.