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Industrial Tableau: 1900
... The other end of the trail We saw the Marquette, Michigan docks where they load the boats with ore a few years ago on Shorpy. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/11/2016 - 10:11pm -

Lake Erie circa 1900. "Harbor entrance at Conneaut, Ohio." Where ore from the Lake Superior iron ranges was unloaded for transport by rail to the smelting furnaces of Ohio and Pennsylvania. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
The other end of the trailWe saw the Marquette, Michigan docks where they load the boats with ore a few years ago on Shorpy. (Yes, they are called boats on the Great Lakes, even if they're 1,000 feet long).
Conneaut? Looks like a poor man's Ashtabula. Nice photo. 
Switchman's nightmareLook at all the switches in these tracks. It must have been a nightmare for the switchman. Or did a worker walk alongside and change the switches as needed?
2 Way TrafficAs shown by the railroad ferry slip in the center, and the loaded United States - Ontario Steam Navigation Co. coal cars waiting for the boat, the port was also used for Northbound traffic across Lake Erie to Canada.
That smoke looks realLooks like a very well made model train layout.
Love my puzzles.If any photo would make the perfect jigsaw puzzle, this is it.
RR Car Track ScaleThe building in the foreground with the steeply-slanted shed roof is a Scale House for weighing RR cars.
The tracks in front have two pairs of rails. You will see two sets of track switch points, but no switch frogs. 
One pair is the "dead rails" - non-moving rails for the locomotive to traverse without crushing the scale.  
The other pair are the "live rails" - cars on these rails are going over the scale platform.
In those days, the scale was a mechanical marvel that worked much like the balance scale in a doctor's office.  Some had huge read-out dials, but many were moving counterweights on beams.  The concept might be simple, but making this work accurately on something as heavy as a loaded RR car was no mean feat of design.
The pier in the far right background has what might be Hulett unloaders. These were featured on Shorpy not long ago.
Once again, a photo rich in satisfying detail and excellently composed and exposed.   
Re: Track ScaleNice description of the scale system!
So, was there enough freedom in the couplers to allow the locomotive to divert to the dead tracks and pull the loaded car through? Beats having to uncouple and drop the car, then pick it back up...
The first Hulett unloader constructedwas at Conneaut in 1899, and can be seen in the very middle of the photograph, above the carferry slip of the United States & Ontario Navigation Company, the carferries of which, Shenango No. 1 and Shenango No. 2, brought railcars of coal crosslake to Port Dover, Ontario.  Conneaut hosted another carferry service, the Marquette & Bessemer Dock & Navigation Company, which ran the Marquette and Bessemer No.1 and No. 2 (the former a collier which loaded coal directly from cars into its hold) to Erieau and Port Stanley.  The first Marquette and Bessemer No. 2 disappeared with all hands on December 9, 1909, and the wreck has never been located.
(The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Mining, Railroads)

Live Third Rail: 1910
Detroit circa 1910. "Michigan Central R.R. tunnel." Another in a series of views of the approach to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2014 - 11:55am -

Detroit circa 1910. "Michigan Central R.R. tunnel." Another in a series of views of the approach to the train tunnel under the Detroit River. Please note: LIVE THIRD RAIL, DO NOT TOUCH. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative. View full size.
Snake EyesI'm thinking of some fellow holding up a convenience store; the clerk pulls out a double barreled shotgun, and this is what the robber sees.
Do not touch?That sign is an understatement. I believe those rails carried 750 volts DC.
Under-Running Third RailThis is the "Under-Running" type of third rail, where the pickup shoes on the locomotive run on the bottom of the rail.  The rail is sort of hanging from C-shaped insulated supports. The insulators are under tension.
This is superior to the common "Over-Running" third rail because the top and both sides of the electrified rail can be protected against accidental contact. In this photo, one can see that the top and both sides of the rail are covered in wooden sheathing. (In the more common Over-Running 3rd rail, only the back side and the top of the rail can be guarded; the track side must remain exposed.) 
This is the type of 3rd rail used in other New York Central System electrification projects under the control of VP of Engineering William J. Wilgus. This type of 3rd rail is used in Grand Central Terminal and on all line approaching it. (The former New Haven transitions to overhead wire, but operated within NY City limits on the 3rd rail.)
All of this sort of third rail in the NYC /Westchester area has been changed from wooden sheathing to fiberglass sheathing, which is safer because it cannot absorb water.
Now, if Shorpy could only find a photo of the electric locomotives which traversed this tunnel.
[Electro-Motive. -tterrace]
Street LampI want this street lamp in my driveway! I have scoured the internet in search of appealing exterior lighting, and haven't found anything nearly as interesting as this one. I don't know what it is about it, it's just perfect.
[It's a carbon-arc fixture on a "bishop's crook" standard. - Dave]
Tunnel locomotivesIt would be nice to have a large format photo of one of the period engines on Shorpy. Most of the ones I've found are kinda fuzzy and don't do justice to the picture of the tunnel.
[Click to enlarge. - Dave]

Lobster, lettuceand everything in between.
(The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, Railroads)

The Art of Selling: 1941
July 1941. "Detroit, Michigan. Head of the art department at the Crowley-Milner department store." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/01/2013 - 2:10pm -

July 1941. "Detroit, Michigan. Head of the art department at the Crowley-Milner department store." Which for the better part of the 20th century occupied this building. Photo by Arthur Siegel, Office of War Information. View full size.
Nice radioMy guess is that it is tuned to WWJ, 950 kHz.
The RadioIt's a General Electric Self-Charging Portable, just like in the ad copy he's reviewing. I don't know what the radio sells for now if you can find one, but I've seen eBay prices for the ad of between $10 and $20.
I have that radio!The thing is a bear with a 12V motorcycle wet cell in it!  The button in the middle of the case side is a vent to get rid of the hydrogen from the charge cycle.
G-E LB-530From the May 19, 1941, issue of Life. Click to embiggen.

Whoof!$39.95 in 1941 is more than $600 today.
Interesting detailsThe photos under the desk glass show us a child (girl?) on a pony and four well-behaved dogs, the woodwork behind the man's head is nicely done (anybody recognize the insignia to the right of the deer?), and the memo on his desk reads:
--
TO Mr. Heidt (Reidt?)     DATE July 7, (obscured)
We are opening (obscured) department in our Toilet Goods on August 4th.  We (obscured) Large Country Cupboard display as a special courtesy from (obscured) material presents a very fine opportunity for an (obscured) window. We hope you will be able to arrange a (obscured) a grand opening on this date.
--
And finally, the other large advertisement on the desk - Keds (US Rubber), Big Deeds Are Often Born In Dreams.
The price of entertainmentAverage monthly rent in New York in 1941 was $39--the same price as that portable radio. Just goes to show you that what's true today was true in 1941--when some cool new tech gadget is invented, just wait a about 5 years and you'll pay 75% less for it than you would when it was first introduced.
It also is amazing how far and fast technology has come. Imagine paying the equivalent of $2,000 in 1941 dollars for something you can buy today at Wal-mart for ten bucks. 
(The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Detroit Photos, Stores & Markets)

Great Lakes Engineering Works: 1906
Ecorse, Michigan, circa 1906. "Great Lakes Engineering Works." Another look at this ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 2:12pm -

Ecorse, Michigan, circa 1906. "Great Lakes Engineering Works." Another look at this ship-building concern on the Detroit River near Lake Erie. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
OK, OK, lunch pailsThat had occurred to me, honest, but their apparent uniformity got me thinking some kind of company-supplied appurtenances, like tool boxes. Whatever they are, they sure are purty.
SmokestackingAs a young salesman I was taught the term "smokestacking," which meant that one could find possible new clients in an area by checking the skies for billowing plumes of black smoke and then following it to the source.  This photo speaks to that mightily.
Shiny thingsSo, the white or extremely shiny things we see lined up along the walls or on window sills or being carried by the men; what the heck?
Re: Shiny thingsLook like lunchpails to me.
Re: Shiny thingsI could be wrong. I'm not sure. This is just a guess. They seem to me to be, should I be so bold to say. I really want to be right on this. If I had to wager on it. If you pin me down on this question. Lunch buckets!? Please tell me I'm not wrong. Have always been a risk taker. Just can't help it.
Shiny ObjectsThey are old style lunch pails.
http://www.lunchboxes.com/history.html
OK, They're Lunch BucketsAnd, there are at least four other men in the close proximity with Their Lunch Buckets. Got It! tterrace and jimmylee42 are way too smart for this dribble.
What I want to hear from are those more versed in Great Lakes History than I and tell us what this huge Ship Building enterprise, and so many other "Enterprises" did to the ecology of the Great Lakes as a whole. 
After all, these Great Lakes, of which I live 15 miles from, contain 20% of all of the Fresh Water on this Planet!
Between Timber, Ore, Steel, Ship Building, and Over Fishing, and then Atlantic contamination, we have done our very best to destroy the Great Lakes.
PCWhy am I not surprised that my comment that this carbon spewing in 1906 should have  kicked off "global warming" over a century ago, but didn't,  did not get posted. I guess it's an inconvenient truth that this didn't cause global warming then, and it doesn't today.
[Perhaps you're not the only one who's not surprised. - Dave]
GLEW in the familyMy dad and my grandpa both worked at Great Lakes. Many other friends and family too. It put food on the table!
When was lunch launched?When I was a kid, in the 1940s, those were dinner pails.  The noon meal was dinner, the evening, supper.  I don't remember seeing those big rounded-square pails around the Pittsburgh area.  The ones I recall (and I have one that my dad used) look sorta like a covered wagon: a boxy bottom and a rounded cover where a Thermos bottle was clamped.  Miners had a different type of pail.  It was big and round and they carried water in the bottom.  
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)

Surrey With the Fringe on Top: 1908
Mackinac Island, Michigan, circa 1908. "New Mackinac and New Murray Hotels." 8x10 inch dry plate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/19/2012 - 10:22pm -

Mackinac Island, Michigan, circa 1908. "New Mackinac and New Murray Hotels." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Not much has changed thereI stayed on the island in the late 1990s and awoke to the clip-clop of the morning delivery wagons.  
+100Below is the same view from August of 2008.
Wheels have changedOn the fringed surreys over the past decade.
Bucolic settingTo this day, even the garbage wagons are horse-drawn. 
No more MackinawAs you can see in the 2008 photo, The New Mackinaw isn't so new anymore.  In fact, it's gone.  I think the small peaked-roofed building is the Visitor's Information Center.
Bailey's Drug StoreDarn, if only it was a Building and Loan.
New MackinacAn unusual use of sarcasm in an advertisement.



Mackinac, Formerly Michilimackinac,
 John Read Bailey, M.D., 1897.

The New Mackinac


This hotel was built for the special comfort of summer boarders. On arrival, each guest will be asked how he likes the situation, and if he says the Hotel ought to have been placed upon Fort Holmes or on Round Island, the location of the Hotel will be immediately changed.

Corner front rooms, up one flight, for every guest. Baths, gas, electricity, hot and cold water, laundry, telegraph, restaurant, fire alarm, bar room, billiard table, sewing machine, piano, and all modern conveniences in every room. Meals every minute, and consequently no second table. Every guest will have the best seat in the dining hall.

Our clerk was specially educated for the "New Mackinac," he wears the original Koh-i-noor diamond, and is prepared to please everybody. He is always ready to sing, match worsted, take a hand at draw-poker, play billiards. sharpen your pencil, take you out rowing, lead the german, amuse the children, make a fourth at whist, or flirt with any young lady, and will not mind being cut dead when Pa comes down. He will attend to the telephone and answer all questions in Choctaw, Chinese, Chippewa, Volapuk, or any other of the Court languages of Europe.

The proprietor will always be happy to hear that some other hotel is "the best in the country." Special attention given to parties who give information as to "how these things are done in Chicago."
More News To ComeNot yet on the island's PR band wagon but it can only be a matter of time: "The New White Seal", "The New Baileys Drug Store" and "The New Marquette Furnished Rooms".
I've been to the IslandI've been to the Island a number of times, the last time being just last June. It happened to be one of the rare occasions that some motorized vehicles were there: some earth-moving machines such as a bulldozer and a backhoe. 
So I was in the Blacksmith's shop, and the Smith was doing his demos of fashioning various items from iron stock, and suddenly the backhoe rolled by with extreme noise. Then the bulldozer went by, noisily. The Smith had been there in comparative peace and quite for weeks. He was taken aback, because the last thing he expected was the roar of diesel engines.
Somewhere in TimeMany of you are probably already aware that the film "Somewhere in Time" with Jane Seymour and the late Christopher Reeve was shot on the island. Esther Williams made a movie there too, but I have forgotten the name of it.
The Island can be clearly seen from the Mackinaw Straits Bridge, a wonder in itself.
(The Gallery, DPC, Horses)

Message From Mars: 1913
Marquette, Michigan, circa 1913. "Washington Street, showing opera house." Now playing at ... it's fate was to burn down. But, this being the UP of Michigan, naturally it happened during a blizzard. Like any good opera ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/13/2012 - 9:24am -

Marquette, Michigan, circa 1913. "Washington Street, showing opera house." Now playing at the picture show: "Message From Mars" and "Flaming Arrrow." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
ParadingAnyone know what the parade was for?  Doesn't seem to be attracting a whole lot of attention, aside from the gaggle of boys following along with them.
The Flaming ArrowFrom:  http://mubi.com/films/the-flaming-arrow
"At the age of 13 Joris Ivens was fond of cowboy and Indian stories, so he decided to invent one himself. He wrote a script and used a camera from his father’s shop. This became his first film Wigwam, with his own family as the cast. Black Eagle, a bad Indian, kidnaps the daughter of a farmer’s family. Flaming Arrow, played by the young Joris Ivens, saves the child from the kidnapper and brings her back to her family."
Joris Ivens (18 November 1898, Nijmegen – 28 June 1989, Paris) was a Dutch documentary filmmaker.
Mar's ManWith a plot similar to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Richard Ganthoney's A Message from Mars was a hugely successful satirical play. It was made into a four-reel picture in 1913 in the U.K.
A Martian is sentenced to visit earth to cure a selfish man.
 Horace Parker, "the most selfish man on earth" is such a snob that even his fiancee turns her back on him. But on Christmas Eve, a messenger from Mars (in a bizarre, scaly costume) comes to Earth to show Parker the error of his ways. The two of them become invisible and eavesdrop on all the terrible -and true -- things Parker's friends and family are saying about him. etc.
The Fate of the Opera HouseLike seemingly many old theaters, it's fate was to burn down. But, this being the UP of Michigan, naturally it happened during a blizzard.
Like any good opera story, there may have been some skullduggery going on behind the scenes!
Read more about it here:  http://bit.ly/V00a52 
There is a sign for The Mining Journal newspaper in the background, which is today still publishing.
ParadeI think this is a Salvation Army band marching; I found a couple of pictures with a similar cap.
Another Flaming ArrowThe Flaming Arrow film mentioned previously was released in 1911. A film with the same title was made and released in 1913 by the Bison Picture Company. The latter film is most likely the one we see the advertisement for.
Man From MarsThe British poster.
(The Gallery, DPC, Movies)

Douglass House: 1908
Houghton, Michigan, circa 1908. "Douglass House, Shelden Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate ... little has changed in is small Upper Peninsula town in Michigan. That is except for R.B. Lang’s Store – that is now a small parking deck. Copper Country Michigan Technological University also has a selection of historic images ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/16/2018 - 10:00am -

Houghton, Michigan, circa 1908. "Douglass House, Shelden Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
To heck with the Douglass HouseI want to go next door to the R.B. Lang fabric store, and check out the latest Butterick dress patterns!
One Hundred and Ten Years LaterAnd the Douglass House still stands at the corner of Selden Avenue and Isle Royale Street.  If you look around, then you will see that little has changed in is small Upper Peninsula town in Michigan.  That is except for R.B. Lang’s Store – that is now a small parking deck.

Copper CountryMichigan Technological University also has a selection of historic images depicting the Douglass House through the years.
(The Gallery, DPC)

Factoryville: 1901
Chelsea, Michigan, circa 1901. "Glazier Stove Company, general view." 8x10 inch dry ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2012 - 10:49am -

Chelsea, Michigan, circa 1901. "Glazier Stove Company, general view." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Private SidingIn the days before trucking, imagine the convenience of being able to load heavy goods directly into freight cars parked on your own siding. Almost makes it seem easy. 
What a great model train layoutI can imagine a huge person in the background, towering over this scene, and a giant hand setting that two-horse freight wagon in place on the other side of the tracks. Lionelville, nexxxxt stop! Get yer tickets ready.
Like TopsyIt looks as if the factory "just grew," with a small house right in the middle and various sizes and shapes of buildings going up as needed.  And they were equally casual about corporate identity back then.  It's like the brass just let the sign painter pick his own lettering style for each building. Or her own, in the case of the one with the little flowery things.
Cool PictureI like this picture a lot. Especially the "Railroad Crossing" sign, and the two men at the bottom at the screen. The man on the right looks like he's translucent. 
OventrepreneurThought the company name had something to do with the manufacturing process, but in fact Glazier Stove Works was owned by Frank Porter Glazier.
Somebody give me a handLet's grab that handcar and go for a ride. Oh, how I've always wanted to do that!
Home of the RangesA selection of images and maps posted by various folks. I have tweaked the coding and resized the images to make everything behave. Click the pics to enlarge or for more info.

View Larger Map


WeathervanesThere are at least two weathervanes visible here.  The one on the tall pole on building No. 12 has an apparatus for measuring wind velocity, if I am not mistaken.
(The Gallery, DPC, Glazier Stove Works, Railroads)

Fine Arts: 1903
Chicago circa 1903. "Fine Arts Building, Michigan Avenue." Now playing at the Studebaker Theatre: Castle Square Opera ... building, with a good view of Grant Park and Lake Michigan from its front windows. I took a tour in the 90s, and found it to be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/11/2018 - 8:39pm -

Chicago circa 1903. "Fine Arts Building, Michigan Avenue." Now playing at the Studebaker Theatre: Castle Square Opera Company's production of The Pirates of Penzance. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size.
Don't jump!Henry!  Get back in here!  
Largely unchangedAn architecturally significant building, with a good view of Grant Park and Lake Michigan from its front windows.  I took a tour in the 90s, and found it to be eerily unchanged from the 19th century, down to the elevator operator and sparsely-spaced carbon-filament lightbulbs in the hallways.  The building houses artists and musicians and related offices.  L. Frank Baum had an office here and may have written some of his work in it.
Still worth a visit!I worked in this building, top floor right windows, for many years. It's still beautiful inside, with most of the original interior quite intact, including in the private offices. It's worth a visit if you are in Chicago: start at the top to see the original paintings on the walls, and walk the stairs down all the way. The whole building is filled with artists, musicians, violin makers, etc.  https://www.fineartsbuildingstudios.com/
Rag in his pocketHe is the very model of a modern window washer
+114Below is the same view from June of 2017.
Elevator OperatorI visited some shops in this building in January of this year. The building still has one elevator operated by a human being; the other elevators (there are about five of them in the lobby) were out of order. You have to use this human-operated elevator because the door to the stairwell is locked on the first floor (although it does open from inside the stairwell, so I guess it meets the fire code). The building was originally built as the Studebaker Building in 1884-1885, and it did indeed house the sales room, service facility, and factory of the Studebaker Carriage Company. The architect was Solon S. Beman, the designer  of the town of Pullman (among many other things). In its original form, the building was only 8 stories high and had two little domes on the top floor, one at each end of the front facade. After Studebaker moved to a new building on Wabash Avenue in 1897, Beman was hired to convert this building to artistic uses, which was more in line with its two neighbors on the block: the Auditorium Hotel & Theater (on the left side of the photo) and the Art Institute of Chicago (on the right). He raised the height of the building to its current 10 stories and installed two legitimate theaters on the ground floor. These theaters were made over into four movie theaters in the 1980s, when this building served as the principal art house theater in downtown Chicago. I believe they have now been converted back, although I couldn't tell if they were open for business when I went there in January.  
Pirate CastleI could only find two runs of the Pirates of Penzance by the Castle Square Opera Company at the Studebaker Theater. Both of these were from before the circa 1903 date of the photo. The first was from July 22 - 25, 1900 with Miss Maude Lillian Berri in the leading soprano role. Berri reprised her role in the performances that were held April 28 - May 4, 1901. The ad below is from the April 28th Chicago Tribune, and the review is from the April 30th edition.
"The Castle Square company is devoting its week to a revival of "The Pirates of Penzance."  The Studebaker was comfortably filled, and although the opera is not among the most attractive either in subject or music of the Gilbert and Sullivan creations, the performance was received with every evidence of enjoyment and pleasure. The book of the "Pirates" appeals less perhaps to American opera-goers than does any Mr. Gilbert ever wrote, it being peculiarly English both in its allusions and its satire, and Sullivan seems to have risen to the plane of the best tunefulness and cleverness only in the second act.  Mabel's entrance solo with chorus is catchy and has the true Sullivan swing, but it is the only number in the first act that has.  The "Policemen's Chorus," the duet for Mabel and Frederic, and the "Pirates' Chorus" are attractive, however, and make the second act pleasing and deservedly popular.
"The performance last evening was fully up to Castle Square standards, which is equivalent to saying that it was well balanced, carefully staged and costumed, and moved with commendable smoothness.  Reginald Roberts, as the paradoxical pirate apprentice, appeared to unusually good advantage, assuming well the boyish guilelessness belonging to the character and singing the music - especially the duet in act II - in highly acceptable manner.  Miss Berri made all of Mabel that was possible, both from a dramatic and a vocal standpoint; Mr. Pruette was a capital pirate chief, Mr. Moulan a satisfactory Major General, and Miss Lambert a good Ruth.  Francis J. Boyle came forward as a prominent principal in the role of Edward, the sergeant of police.  He was an agreeable bass voice, which he uses acceptably, enunciates well, and discovered good abilities as a comedian.  He would seem a young funny man of promise.  Cora Spicer as Edith and Stella Bonheur as Kate were also new aspirants for solo honors.  They have good looks and gracefulness in their favor, and it is believed when they master their nervousness will prove to be pleasing singers."
(The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Performing Arts)

Whaleback: 1910
... barge entering Weitzel Lock, Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. ... later sold to Great Lakes Engineering Works of Ecorse, Michigan. It was badly damaged in a collision in October 1905, between the Soo ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/30/2014 - 12:41pm -

Circa 1910. "Whaleback barge entering Weitzel Lock, Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan." 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
About whaleback barge no. 131This barge lasted over fifty years, from its delivery in 1893 to its scrapping in 1946.  It was constructed by American Steel Barge in Superior, Wisconsin, when that company was under the ownership of the whalebacks' greatest friend, Alexander McDougall.  When owned by Bessemer Steamship Corp. and then Pittsburgh Steamship Co., it was based in Duluth.  This barge was part of a small fleet later sold to Great Lakes Engineering Works of Ecorse, Michigan.  It was badly damaged in a collision in October 1905, between the Soo Locks and Lake Huron. Before it was moved in 1912 from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic coast for use in the New England coal trade, its length was shortened by 31 feet (from its original 292 feet). It was then renamed the Salem. Several decades and name changes later, its service came to an end in Houston.
One Whaleback SurvivesThe S. S. Meteor is on display in Superior, Wis.
Kodak MomentIt appears that the little girl dressed in her Sunday finest at the lower right is snapping a 'Kodak' of the whale.
Clean seams?The seams look welded.  1893 seems early for the process on such a large scale.  Any info?
What is a Whaleback?Whaleback \Whale"back`\, n. (Naut.)
   A form of vessel, often with steam power, having sharp ends
   and a very convex upper deck, much used on the Great Lakes,
   esp. for carrying grain. Source: Free Dictionary
whaleback  (ˈweɪlˌbæk)
— n
1. 	something shaped like the back of a whale
2. 	a steamboat having a curved upper dec Source: Dictionary.com
Clean seamsWelded ship hulls started in 1917 or so, so this is way too early. Possibilities are flush rivets with countersinking and simply an optical illusion; the thickness of the plates exceeds the protrusion of the rivets enough that you don't see it.  You can see this with many pictures of ships where a close up would clearly show rivets.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC)

Candy Girls: 1922
... My Mother worked in the Sander's candy factory in Detroit, Michigan for a spell in late 1930's. She was told she could eat all the candy ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 9:49pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1922. "Benj. Franklin candy store, 13th Street N.W., interior." National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size.
QuestionWhy do visions of candy on conveyor belts and Lucille Ball go through my head while looking at this picture?
While You Were Away 

1922 Advertisement


"Benj." Franklin Candies
Pays Us a Visit and Sample our Famous
BUTTER CREAMS and GLORIA ROLL

Why is everybody talking about "Benj." Franklin Candies?  Because we believe our candy is the finest and purest in the city of Washington; our candy is all home-made — made the same as Mother would make it in the kitchen at home.  A trial will convince you of its superiority.  Remember the Address — 517 Thirteenth Street  —  Opposite Palace Theater.
Branches: Baltimore, Richmond, Dayton, Fairmont, Morgantown, Wheeling.



Update: Don't wait! It won't be here long!


1923 Advertisement





Have a gloria roll and make  yourself at homeIt looks like they've set up shop in somebody's living room.  There's even a coat hanging over the doorknob. 
The "clock"Cover plate for a stovepipe hole.
Those "Candy Girls"look shell-shocked.  Was is something in the candy?  The working hours?  The fact that they were forced to pose forever while the photographer did his thing?
What I want is To be locked up in this place overnight with a half gallon of cold milk. They would find me the next morning on the floor lying on my back, distended belly with an empty milk container, chocolate all over my face and mumbling incoherently.
All in the FamilyThe two center women have the same nose and head shape.
I think this is a mother, father (in the back) and their two daughters.
I also think this is not what those two sisters wanted to be doing on their summer vacation. That accounts for their "are you done yet" teen-aged glares.
Did the "Heat" do them in?Is that gent by the window on a telephone?  Old time candy stores often served as a front for a bookie operation. Those oscillating fans couldn't protect the goods from the brutal heat of a D.C. summer.  Three thousand pounds of leftover coconut?  My Mother worked in the Sander's candy factory in Detroit, Michigan for a spell in late 1930's.  She was told she could eat all the candy she wanted as she worked.  After the first day she had her fill.     
They're really...Zombies!
Ma? Meh.No wonder this store went bankrupt.  If they advertised candy as "the same that Mother would make" at home, then I'm taking my sweet tooth to a place where they actually know how to make candy.
(The Gallery, D.C., Natl Photo, Stores & Markets)

The Stovemakers: 1901
Chelsea, Michigan, circa 1901. "Glazier Stove Company -- lamp stove department." Our ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/20/2012 - 10:50am -

Chelsea, Michigan, circa 1901. "Glazier Stove Company -- lamp stove department." Our second glimpse today into the Dickensian workings of Glazier Stove. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Ironic/electricShould it be ironic foreshadowing that the room where they appear to be making oil lamps is lit up by electric light?
Shorpy Strikes AgainThanks, Dave! Once again, I've learned something new here. When I read the caption, I thought "okay, what the heck is a lamp stove?" It's amazing the things that show up here. A few days back it was charabancs and now lamp stoves. 
Turns out these handy devices were heaters, stoves, or lamps or all three at once. Fueled with kerosene, they heated fast and were economical to use. Imagine trying to heat a flatiron on a wood stove; the time and cost would be dreadful, but with a lamp stove, it'd be a snap. there's a short piece about them here. I wonder if somebody still makes them.
Thanks for adding a tiny bit to my appreciation of yesteryear.
Best & BrightestHere are a couple other views, "as intended" and "as is"
In 1901, still a marketFull domestic electrification was still over two decades out, even in cities. In rural areas, it took until the early '50s. The first appliance purchase of a newly-electrified household was invariably an iron, as electric irons could be reliably expected not to put soot on freshly-laundered garments.
And no, I'd never heard of a lamp stove, either. I want one!
Going, going...Strange to see actual manufacturing jobs in America.
[The U.S. of A. is still the biggest producer of manufactured goods on Planet Earth. - Dave]
Nice wiring job.Those little porcelain cleat type insulators holding the wires for the light fixtures are cool!
Good stuff Dave. Keep'em coming.
Patent that!Love the infinitely adjustable lighting fixture, all it takes is a wire, a socket, and a piece of string. Although I think OSHA just had a stroke.
LampStoveAt the time these were made, the automobile was just taking off, and with it the autocamp, where people would stop while traveling. As you can imagine, these early camps didn't have electrical hookups, so this would be a handy, maybe essential item.
 Materiel matters.  Those are sheets of mica on his right, flame and fireproof natural minerals, used by almost all lamp and stove makers right up to today.
(The Gallery, DPC, Glazier Stove Works)

Livingston Channel: 1910
Stony Island, Michigan, circa 1910. "Livingston Channel." Construction of the navigation ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/28/2012 - 4:41pm -

Stony Island, Michigan, circa 1910. "Livingston Channel." Construction of the navigation channel along the Detroit River on an icy day. Panorama of three 8x10 inch glass negatives. Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Love the heavy steam equipment!If you transit this channel at night it looks just like an airport runway being so straight and lighted at the margins.
International BorderThis channel is actually part of the border between the United States and Canada.  Looks like they cut the island in half right down the border!
Conquering the Hell-Gate

Technical World Magazine, March, 1909.

Conquering the Hell-Gate of the Lakes
By Len.G. Shaw

… 

Using Stony Island, a marshy tract some few acres in extent, as a starting point, the contractors began construction of the largest cofferdam ever undertaken. Dredges were used in casting up the walls of rock and clay, taken from the river bed at various points in the new channel where excavation in the old way was comparatively easy. An area 2,800 feet in length and with an average width of 1,600 feet was enclosed by a wall some forty feet through at the base, reaching ten feet above the surface of the river, and at the top being wide enough to permit the laying of a narrow gauge railroad track if desired.
… 

With the water out of the cofferdam, excavating was undertaken. Great towers, more than one hundred feet in height, and mounted on tracks permitting their being moved wherever desired, were erected 720 feet apart, being connected by cableways capable of sustaining a weight of ten tons, and on which ran ten-ton "skips" or trays, operated by compressed air and manipulated so that they could be dumped in midair without the slightest delay.

Channelers were put at work, these knife-like devices cutting courses through the rock lengthwise of the channel and some six feet apart. At regular distances across the proposed channel holes were drilled at angles, filled with dynamite, and the charge exploded. Then the sixty-five ton steam shovels were put in operation loading the skips, and the task of gouging out a channel through the solid Niagara limestone was well under way.

(Panoramas, Boats & Bridges, Detroit Photos, DPC)

Temple of Thrift: 1916
May 6, 1916. "Dime Savings Bank lobby, Detroit, Michigan." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/11/2017 - 7:39pm -

May 6, 1916. "Dime Savings Bank lobby, Detroit, Michigan." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Not bad, just differentThe lobby of Chrysler House / Dime Building looks a little different now. I imagine most of the change came when the main floor became retail space instead of banking. I'm surprised the columns along the side were squared off.
OpulentDoesn't look like dimes at all. 
Very ElegantI can hardly wait to see the drive-thru. Wonder which window has the lollipops.
Wow!A dime sure went a lot farther back then.
The columns at the end changed tooThey were Ionic, but now have Corinthian capitals
(The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC, The Office)

The Wall: 1941
... children standing in front of half-mile concrete wall, Detroit, Michigan. This wall was built in August 1941 to separate the Negro section from ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/21/2020 - 7:22pm -

August 1941. "Negro children standing in front of half-mile concrete wall, Detroit, Michigan. This wall was built in August 1941 to separate the Negro section from a white housing development going up on the other side." Acetate negative by John Vachon. View full size.
New lookThe wall still stands, mostly because it would be a pain to take it down, but now it's just a backyard wall. Some sections have been repurposed as murals, like the one below showing Rosa Parks catching the bus.

The WallThe people who lived on the other side of that wall didn't think that these beautiful children of God mattered. What has changed in 79 years? 
These sweet facesI spent 30 years in classrooms and gyms teaching (and learning from) kids like this who brightened each and every day for me. I'm retired now and miss kids dearly (though not the paperwork and nonsense that comes with the job). 
And I'm old enough to remember when the building I first taught in was a high school that enrolled kids from several towns in the eastern portion of the Houston metro area because their own districts wouldn't provide a place for them. 
Thank you, Dave, for posting this picture. It brought me a smile and close to tears. 
Beautiful ChildrenI love the joy and lightness in their eyes -- brings sunlight into my heart. 
Brings back memoriesI grew up seven miles from this wall, on the white Macomb County side. It was a very racially prejudiced place! People talk about the South being bad but I don't know how it could have been any worse than metropolitan Detroit in the 1960s-70s. 
Even as late as 2001, when I sold the house I'd grown up in, a neighbor threatened me with bodily harm if I sold it to black people. (I didn't have the heart to tell the man that my parents had given the side-eye to his Pakistani wife, whom they deemed "too dark" to live in the neighborhood.) A mixed-race couple ended up buying the house and I hope that nasty old bigot didn't spoil the experience of buying their first home together. 
One race: human!
(The Gallery, Detroit Photos, John Vachon, Kids)

Candid Kitchen: 1910
... geographical areas, so it's possible this home is in the Michigan/Northern Indiana/Northwest Ohio area. [Shorpy bought this glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/30/2014 - 9:16pm -

From around 1910 comes this glass plate that Shorpy got years ago on eBay. Two people just minding their business who find themselves staring into the ravenous maw of the Internet. Names, location, photographer unknown. View full size.
Interesting.From the knobs, I surmise this is a gas stove with oven.  Kitchen is a little messy but I bet the food was good.  All in all, a good place for a little girl and her family to eat, grow, and love.
Wonderful!So rare to see such a natural, candid shot from so long ago. And apparently shot with available light!
Perilous pileStacking newspapers on a high shelf next to a stove - what could possibly go wrong?  
On a completely different note:  is that a zinc milk box next to the window?
Peninsular Stove CompanyThis manufacturer was located in Detroit.  Back in those days, most sizable towns and cities had stove companies that served their respective geographical areas, so it's possible this home is in the Michigan/Northern Indiana/Northwest Ohio area.
[Shorpy bought this glass negative (for 99 cents, six years ago) from a seller in Painesville, Ohio. - Dave]
10:19 AMWell at least we know one thing about this mysterious photo- it was taken at 10:19 in the morning, assuming the clock is right. It would be nice to see more candid photos like this. Due to the expense and complexity of photography at the time most inside photos were carefully posed rather than candid glimpses of routine family life a century ago.  
Made to last!I inherited my grandmother's wooden high chair, very similar to this one. Difficult to tell from the photo, but mine folds down and can be utilized as a stroller as well. It's amazing how items that were constructed back then were truly made to last. My high chair is still functional after 100 years!
A bigger bread boxThe box on the cabinet is likely a tin family-sized bread storage box. I bought a very similar black japan-painted one from a friend's grandmother's local estate sale about thirty-five years ago. It had provenance dating it to Granny's 1905 wedding in the same Victorian house as the sale's site.
Belled?Is that a bell on a string around the kid's neck?
(The Gallery, Found Photos, Kids, Kitchens etc.)

The Hat That Talks: 1908
Grand Rapids, Michigan, circa 1908. "Monroe Street." Your headquarters for chatty chapeaux. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/19/2018 - 12:28pm -

Grand Rapids, Michigan, circa 1908. "Monroe Street." Your headquarters for chatty chapeaux. 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
Eliminates the middlemanNo need for a person to "talk through his hat." Now the hat can do the talking for him.
Nat'l City still nearbyInteresting to see the National City branch at Pearl Street and Monroe. A modern branch is here in Grand Rapids just rear-right of the viewer. Monroe Avenue has changed over the years, from a road to a pedestrian mall, back to a road. Still a good variety of historic structures along its path, though the corner buildings and distant Herpolsheimers building are gone.
The lady in whiteThe city looks like a grimy place, but somehow the lady in the white -- or at least light coloured -- dress on the street corner manages to keep her apparel squeaky clean.
QuestionsOK, can anyone elaborate on "The Hat That Talks"? And the guy with the chair under the umbrella in the middle of the street -- a streetcar dispatcher?
IllusionsAs I scrolled across the enlarged version of this photo, I noticed the hat on the woman in white on the street corner. Did her hat have two tiny people on top of it? That would explain the talking hat part. No, it was people in the background, giving that illusion. As I scrolled down, I noticed the horse turds in the street and the fact that the woman was holding something that gives the illusion she is about to be hit by a flying horse turd (at least I HOPE it's an illusion). 
There she is in her lovely white dress, just waiting to cross the street, and 103 years later people are seeing tiny talking people on her head and large turd flying at her. It makes me wonder what people might notice about my own candid photos 100 years from now.
TodayThe photographer is looking basically southeast. The buildings on the right (south) of Monroe are mostly all gone; now Rosa Parks Circle is there, a downtown gathering spot for open-air concerts and ice skating in season.
View Larger Map
1908 DentistryBy the time you walk up 5 flights of stairs you will have forgotten about your toothache.
Talking hats serve an important purposeWhen you place one on your head, it tells you which branch of Hogwarts you are a member of: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin.
Umbrella (not) manre: Dennis M's comment: if you look at the shadows, you'll see that the guy bending over is several feet away from the chair, so I don't think the two are necessarily associated. I'd say it's more likely he's related to the overflowing trash can and broom at the curb - possibly collecting some detritus on the street. I'm going with your speculation that the umbrella/chair has something to do with a streetcar functionary.
[Perhaps the fellow over by the streetcar. Umbrella bears the name of Something Milling Co. - Dave]
(The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)

Alma Sanitarium: 1902
Circa 1902. "Alma Sanitarium, Alma, Michigan." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Lycurgus Solon Glover, Detroit ... pictured is still there, in a way. Over the years Michigan Masonic added a new main building and others, repurposing most of the ... This building is not incorporated in the current Michigan Masonic Home building. This building is located near downtown Alma on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/12/2018 - 8:05pm -

Circa 1902. "Alma Sanitarium, Alma, Michigan." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by Lycurgus Solon Glover, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size.
What Sort of BuildingWhat is the use of the dark, pyramidal building in the background? I don't see any chimney on the top, so it doesn't seem to be a heating source. It has a window about halfway up. Sure has me wondering.
Shot Tower?The tall pyramidal building might be a shot tower, which was a place where lead shot, as for shotguns, was made.  The basic idea was to release droplets of molten lead from a height. They would solidify into spherical shape while in free fall, then land in a tub of water. They'd be removed from the tub and sorted for size and checked for roundness before being packed into canvas sacks.  There were shot towers in many US cities. (Shorpy has an early view of Manhattan which shows one.)
Next Time, Let's Use BrickBy the first decade of the 20th century, Ammi Wright had seen enough. His once spiffy hotel, built right next to his own handsome house in Alma, just wasn't drawing them in anymore. "Taking the waters" was having a rough time competing with the advances of medical science. But he got a break. The Masonic Home for the elderly in Grand Rapids burned down in 1910 and the fraternal group was on the hunt for new digs. Wright offered his sanitarium for $60k along with 80 acres. The Masons balked. Wright lowered his offer to free, please just take the damn place. Offer accepted. The original structure pictured is still there, in a way. Over the years Michigan Masonic added a new main building and others, repurposing most of the pieces from the 1885 edifice. Waste not, want not.
Not the current buildingThis building is not incorporated in the current Michigan Masonic Home building. This building is located near downtown Alma on State Street. Parts of this building still stand but not all of it. Most of it was torn down after the Masons moved out.  
The current facility was built in 1929 on Wright Avenue. 
http://www.michmarkers.com/default?page=S0567
There are a lot of erroneous articles thanks to a local "historian" who did not do his research very well. 
(The Gallery, DPC)

Lincoln Park: 1905
... may be the best park of all. 1200 acres along Lake Michigan, with facilities for almost every popular sport, including golf, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 7:12pm -

Chicago circa 1905. "The bridge, Lincoln Park." We'll meet under the tree at noon for egg salad sandwiches. Detroit Publishing Glass negatives. View full size.
The Bewitching PoolPicture in your mind an idyllic place. A place with no hustle, no hurry, no worry. A place where the greatest care a child ever will have is the flavor of cookies or type of pie being baked by this world's sole adult inhabitant, the kindly caretaker known to all as "Aunt T". On the bridge over a brook brother and sister known simply as Jeb and Sport have dropped in from an alien world. A world unlike Aunt T's place near her beautiful, bewitching pool. For this pool truly covers the entrance of the Twilight Zone.
Take us back, Aunt T! I promise I won't ever leave again.
Rod Serling be praised. His storytelling in that episode was so complete and compelling that after nearly 45 years I remembered at once that episode just from seeing the children pictured in an otherwise unrelated image. In truth, I see nothing but Aunt T's refuge and I'm certain she resides just beyond that bridge.
Thanks, Dave. I needed that today.
Look up "idyllic" in the dictionaryand it will have this picture.
Simpler times.This picture is so appealing. Makes me wish I could climb into it and start over.
Re: "Idyllic"This is a photo of Chicago, not Larkspur!
Under-bridge lightingNotice the arc lamp under the bridge superstructure. Perhaps they had a problem with young men and women "spooning" under the bridge at night! 
Looks so peacefulBut remember, all of the people in this photo will see the devastation in San Francisco after the quake. They will suffer through influenza, WWI, the market crash, the depression and WWII. I think I will stay in my own time thank you.
Lincoln Park: 2011Chicago, August 28 2011. The South Pond bridge, Lincoln Park. A perfect summer Sunday - 75 degrees F and a slight breeze. 
Chicagoans of yore left current residents an amazing legacy in our 500+ parks. Lincoln Park may be the best park of all.
1200 acres along Lake Michigan, with facilities for almost every popular sport, including golf, soccer, field hockey, baseball, tennis and beach volleyball. There's a zoo and several small-boat harbors.
I commute by bicycle in fair weather. If I take the Lincoln Park lakefront path, it adds 4 miles to my trip. And I opt for the lakefront path almost every day.
This bridge shows up elsewhere in ShorpyHello Dave!
I left an earlier comment & photo for this photo, and neglected to include an obvious cross-reference.
This bridge is visible at the center of another Shorpy view of Lincoln Park
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Chicago, DPC)

Slumberon: 1941
July 1941. "Detroit, Michigan. Selling mattresses at the Crowley-Milner department store." More like ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2013 - 6:08pm -

July 1941. "Detroit, Michigan. Selling mattresses at the Crowley-Milner department store." More like deFARKment store. Medium-format nitrate negative by Arthur Siegel for the Office of War Information. View full size.
Sales pitch"And for newlyweds, we offer these heavy-duty shock absorbers."
Looks FamiliarI think I sill have that rig on my bed. I never have been able to figure out what my sleep number is though.
Tongue in Cheek"Is your product used by one sex over another."  Quote taken from an old "Pardon my Blooper" record back in the '60's.
Mr. Lambert"But you put a bucket over your head last time I said mattress..."
Early AmericanI think that's what the furniture style is called. I had just such a bed in 1941, when I was 10.
(The Gallery, Arthur Siegel, Detroit Photos, Stores & Markets)

The Granary: 1910
... the same I believe that this was shot near where S. Michigan Avenue used to cross over the inner canal. First fruits of the new ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/22/2012 - 10:40am -

Buffalo, New York, circa 1910. "Canal harbor and elevators." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
The area is still the sameI believe that this was shot near where S. Michigan Avenue used to cross over the inner canal.
First fruits of the new age!I had no idea these massive grain elevators existed in Buffalo.  Very impressive.  It even excited Le Corbusier.
Steamer James GayleyThe ship unloading grain appears to be the bulk freighter James Gayley. 

 Built: 1902 by the American Ship Building Company, Cleveland hull #410.
Gross Tonnage: 4777, Net Tonnage: 3359.
Keel/Beam/Depth: 416x50x28.
Owner: Mitchell & Co., Cleveland.
 Lost: Aug 7, 1912, on Lake Superior in thick fog — struck on the starboard side by the steamer Rensselaer. The James Gayley, burdened with a load of coal, sank 20 minutes after the impact.  All those aboard, including 5 women, were safely recovered by the Rensselaer which remained afloat. The wreck lies 35-40 miles east of Manitou Island.

SidewaysIf you look at the smaller silos (?) alongside the large elevator you can see they are on rail trucks and evidently can be moved along the wharf to accommodate various vessels.
[The Connecting Terminal Elevator in action circa 1900. - Dave]
Straight out of a Sheeler PaintingI immediately thought of a Charles Sheeler urbanscape.
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, Buffalo NY, DPC)

Lord of the Stoves: 1901
Chelsea, Michigan, circa 1901. "Glazier Stove Company shipping room." Heated by a Round ... were manufactured in my hometown of Dowagiac, in SW lower Michigan. Both sides of my family have history with Round Oak: ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/08/2014 - 12:57pm -

Chelsea, Michigan, circa 1901. "Glazier Stove Company shipping room." Heated by a Round Oak No. 20 stove. Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size.
All stove upAnother of my many obsessions of childhood was stove pipes.  In the late 40's and into the 50's, you could still see a few stove pipes rising from the back of older houses, usually out of lean-to type rooms (another obsession).  I would draw pictures of a room with a pot-bellied stove and make the smoke pipe as complicated and twisting as possible to its exit through the wall or roof.  I would have loved this picture, but would have wanted several more bends and elbows before exit.
Deja vu all over againJust when I think we're done with the Glazier Stove Company, you pull us back into it again.
Yet I'd do anything to have one of those old stoves in my kitchen. The utilitarian boxes that we call stoves these days are just boring.
OneJust had to continue the Tolkien reference:
One stove to heat them all and in the darkness shine for them.
Round OakRound Oak stoves were manufactured in my hometown of Dowagiac, in SW lower Michigan. Both sides of my family have history with Round Oak: great-grandfather on my mom's side managed the foundry, and his brothers worked in various administrative positions; both great-grandfathers on my dad's side were Polish immigrants who worked in the factory. Both of my grandfathers worked at Round Oak as well. I wonder where this particular stove ended up. They are quite collectible these days.
[If your dad is like most people, he would have had four great-grandfathers. - Dave]
Both of MY great-grandfathers on my dad's side...his grandfathers.
(The Gallery, DPC, Glazier Stove Works)

Working on the Railroad: 1899
... The men are working somewhere on the line near Manistique, Michigan, in the east-central Upper Peninsula. Names of the other workers are ... of Gottlieb and Caroline (Pfeiffer) Reiman. He was born in Detroit, Michigan on Dec. 11, 1873. In the 1900 census, he is listed as a ... 
 
Posted by Kyle Bagnall - 08/31/2010 - 10:28am -

This image shows Frederick W. Reiman (center) as leader of a railroad Section Gang in 1899. The men are working somewhere on the line near Manistique, Michigan, in the east-central Upper Peninsula. Names of the other workers are unknown.
Fred was the eldest child of Gottlieb and Caroline (Pfeiffer) Reiman. He was born in Detroit, Michigan on Dec. 11, 1873. In the 1900 census, he is listed as a railroad laborer living in Manistique. He would continue to work on the railroad for the rest of his career, moving up to Section Foreman and Road Master. He and his wife Mary lived in Manistique the rest of their lives. 
The handcar being used in this photo was manufactured in Three Rivers, Michigan. Though a portion of the company name is obscured, it was likely produced by Fairbanks, Morse & Co. which had purchased a controlling interest in the Sheffield Velocipede Car Company in 1888. George Sheffield began producing railroad handcars in Three Rivers in 1879 and they were used around the world for many years. View full size.
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Railroads)

Cadillac Visit: 1964
... line (Virgil Exner’s ‘forward look’) at the Warren, Michigan assembly plant. Panic set in and Bill Mitchell, minding the GM design ... 
 
Posted by Cerrito68 - 11/10/2012 - 6:32pm -

My mother's parents are seen here getting ready to drive home to Sacramento after a weekend visit in 1964. We lived in the San Francisco East Bay hills for over 20 years and this house had a wonderful panoramic view of the Bay.  San Francisco can be seen in the left distance as can the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance at right.  Grandpa's car was a 1958 Cadillac - he was a Cadillac man for years. The car down the street is a c.1954 Nash Ambassador.  As a toddler I would stand out on our deck and stare out at that incredible view. View full size.
Very evocativeEspecially since I lived in the East Bay as a child and by 1964 I was living in Sacramento. One thing that struck me though, was the idea that this gentleman, after a weekend visit and prior to a long drive, would be wearing a suit and tie. Still dressed for church, perhaps?
LocationShorpy,  this appears to be El Cerrito, fairly high up on the hill.
WonderfulLove the picture. Thanks so much for sharing.
What a viewWhat a wonderful place to grow up in!!
Judicious commentIf I didn't know better, I'd think your granddad was U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice (and former California governor) Earl Warren.
1958: Swan song for Harley Earl58 was the last model year GM products were designed under the direction of ‘Misterl.’ Earl had made it clear he wanted the 59s to be more of the 58s. While he was sunning himself on the French Riviera in 1956, GM design staff got a peek at the 57 Chrysler product line (Virgil Exner’s ‘forward look’) at the Warren, Michigan assembly plant. Panic set in and Bill Mitchell, minding the GM design department in Earl’s absence, told staff in all five divisions to disregard Earl’s wishes and to start from scratch with the 59 products. Upon his return to Detroit Earl quietly acquiesced to the changes made in his absence, given that Mitchell had secured the support of senior GM management. The posted Caddy has Harley Earl written all over it---in capital letters. Every feature is massive, bold and in-your-face pretentiousness with lots of chrome. I love it.    
Fortunate Son!How fortunate to have experienced such a spectacular vista while growing-up. The beauty of that perspective must have inspired you. 
WhitewallsIn my opinion, Grandpa parked dangerously close to the sidewalk, and those whitewall tires are in danger. I would advise some curb feelers.
Dream CarI.WANT.THIS.CAR.
Suit and tie?Well into the 70's, when my parents would come for a visit, Dad would always be dressed exactly this way. Seemed perfectly natural seeing the photo.
Thanks for the commentsYes, it was the extreme north end of El Cerrito, maybe even East Richmond Heights.  I would assume that we had gone to church that morning and that explains the dress code.  I have at least one other photo of the Cadillac parked there and I think it did have curb feelers.  One can imagine that the men like my grandfather, men of the whitewall era, were expert at curbside parking without scuffing their car's whitewalls.  Gramp's previous car was a '55-'56 Cadillac Sedan DeVille.  My mother took the photo from the end of the deck that went off of the north end of the house.  I used to stand up there, on a picnic table bench that my mother pushed up to that end of the deck, and stare out at that view when I was a toddler--no doubt why I love a good view to this day.  Yes, Gramp looked like Earl Warren!
[Here's the other photo. - tterrace]
(ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)

Twitter: 1904
St. Clair Flats, Michigan, circa 1904. "The Old Club." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/10/2012 - 12:43pm -

St. Clair Flats, Michigan, circa 1904. "The Old Club." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Now that's dedicationBut the carpet! I am disappointed.
Tweet?What does twitter have to do with this picture?
[It's the sound that birds make. - tterrace]
SwallowsI wonder if this is the residence of Miss Byrd?
A little hard to SwallowThis bird motif is a little too precious for my taste so I am imagining how ominous the room would look if the swallows were replaced by, say, crows.
I would have liked being a member of that club.A pleasant place in a quieter, happier time.  
Cost ConsciousObviously, the material was cheaper by the bolt!
Quite niceWell, I could make some silly remark about Rockin' Robin.  Or I could say that the ubiquitous bird motif here reminds me of a number of dishes I've seen from that era with bluebirds in that exact same pose.  So I'll bet that that's what they are, and that the color motif is a very soft blue and pink combination.  With colors that are soft and muted, that could turn out to be a beautiful room. There's must be somewhere a piece of the fabric or the wall paper on a shelf that could give us a clue.
La Cage aux FollesPersonal favorites.
Pretty ChintzyAround 1910, summer parlors and upstairs sitting rooms furnished in wicker with matched cotton chintz upholstery, drapes and appliques were popular all over the United States, a light and airy style promoted by all the decorating and women's magazines of the time, and by such tastemakers as Elsie De Wolfe. Here's another 1910 sitting room full of wicker and chintz, this one in the Nelson Barker residence in San Diego, designed by the early modernist architect Irving Gill. 
CarpetWell, as for the carpet..... the birds need trees- no? I thought it was a good touch!
(The Gallery, DPC)

Industrial Light & Magic: 1915
Wyandotte, Michigan, circa 1915. "Foundry, Detroit Shipbuilding Co." 8x10 inch dry plate ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 10:49am -

Wyandotte, Michigan, circa 1915. "Foundry, Detroit Shipbuilding Co." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
More GhostsHow long would the exposure be on this?
The third ghostly guy from the left and the fifth ghostly guy from the left look like the same guy? (Tall skinny guy with a cap)
Sand, sand, sandHow I remember it well. I in this photo you will notice it everywhere since the iron molds were made of pressed sand and still are today. The sand you see in the piles is where the pressed sand molds were broken to remove the casting. I did this same job in the '80s.
Zap!Another memory shaken loose by this site. One day a childhood neighbor friend of mine asked me to hold my tongue between my thumb and finger and repeat the phrase "My father works in a shipyard." We all know how that turned out.
Hey.  Conduit and junction boxes in 1915.Safety first!
Even more ghostsalso note the "ghostly" traveling hoist.
The image seems to be a mix of ambient light, from the door and windows, and flash (most of the light on the foreground). The two exposures may have been separate shutter trips, separated by several seconds, or the flash may have simply been ignited at the end of a modest time exposure.
[The time exposure includes the flash. Shutter opened (or lens cover removed), flash ignited, lens cover replaced. - Dave]
(The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Factories)

Blowing Tree: 1909
... This per a golf turf grass expert and friend of mine at Michigan State University here in town where I live. [And before ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/04/2019 - 5:26pm -

1909. "Stevens House golf links, Lake Placid, Adirondack Mountains, New York." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
ScythingYou can mow lawns neatly with a scythe - I've done it on an acre for almost two decades.  It's fun but not fast.  The major annoyance is transporting the cuttings, which form a windrow pile to your left, to somewhere else.
Think of it as an alternative to golf as a hobby.
Logistical questionHow do you mow in 1909?  Too much to push mow, I can't imagine a horse pulled mechanism mowing closely enough to do.  Ideas, Shorpists?
Logical AnswerAbout this time, steam tractors were first utilized to pull a line of "gang mowers" about 20 feet wide for the better courses, as this one was. And around the same time smaller, gas-powered hand mowers had just been introduced and made greens maintenance much better and economical at the same time.  This per a golf turf grass expert and friend of mine at Michigan State University here in town where I live.
[And before self-propelled equipment, horse-drawn reel and sickle-bar mowers. - Dave]
Bigfoot found near Lake PlacidCheck out the shoes of tall lad in the middle.  Are they really his or did his father pass down his old shoes?
Alternate TakeFor the uncropped version of this scene, click here.
Birdies"Watch the birdy."
"Which one?"
"Oh for the love of G--, would you just get on with it."The kid's expression pretty much says it all.
The winner by a nostrilI'm pretty sure the girl on the left was a close relative of Jimmy Durante.
By the still watersThe lake may well be placid, but the atmosphere looks subject to overzealous zephyrs, with the local greenery providing several instances of a tropism of sorts that one encounters in such persistently windy environments. (Not altogether unlike the preceding sentence). 
Hats off to you!I think you will be hard pressed to find a picture of another gentleman from this era without a hat on. (Not child or teen, but adult) I realize its windy, but I think it is very unusual to see a man outside without a hat. And how about those golf boots the ladies are wearing! 
The definition of futility?Apparently the wind is coming straight down the fairway into the face of the tee box.  There's very little chance of making the green in two strokes on a day like this!
(The Gallery, DPC, Sports)

Big Digger: 1910
... removing a section of coffer dam, Livingstone Channel, Detroit, Michigan." Construction of the navigation channel along the Detroit River. 8x10 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/16/2012 - 11:47am -

Circa 1910. "Steam shovel removing a section of coffer dam, Livingstone Channel, Detroit, Michigan." Construction of the navigation channel along the Detroit River. 8x10 inch glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
 Digging the Livingston ChannelBelow are some past Shorpy posts for context on the digging of the Livingston Channel at the "Hell-Gate of the Lakes." Based on what we can see of the boom, the steam shovel in the photo appears to be another variant from the Marion works, but with different rigging and traction than seen before.
Livingston Channel:

Dinner Is Served: 1901
New Baltimore, Michigan, circa 1901. "The Firs -- dining room." This house's amenities ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/17/2014 - 10:36pm -

New Baltimore, Michigan, circa 1901. "The Firs -- dining room." This house's amenities included radiant heat, Edison lamps and much wood. Bon appetit!  8x10 dry plate glass inch negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
The FirsI grew up in New Baltimore. The Firs was briefly a bed and breakfast at some point. It was built for the Hathaway family. New Baltimore is on Lake St. Clair. Sadly, the mansion was torn down several years ago. 
Plenty of Elbow RoomLooks a bit sparse.  Wonder what the wait time is?
Heat RisesSomeone put the "radiant heat" a bit too high up.
Hathaway HouseOr Hatheway House. Eitherway, house reputed to have been haunted.
Steamed UpApparently the radiator is set high because of the level of the boiler. The condensate water must drain back to the boiler, no pump in this system. Better than no heat at all.
"Dinner is served"in the  "Low Head Room"
I don't know whyBut this room reminds me of the inside of a caboose. Glad to get the comment from CharlieB, because we have seen a lot of elevated radiators in Shorpy pics and I have been curious as to why they would be that high off the floor.
The Dutch DoorAnd other charming touches, the dinnerware displayed on the wall, the window seat, the pretty little casement on the near right, the rustic floor make this an inviting and cozy room in which to dine!  Bet it smells good in there, too!
The FirsTo my understanding that basement room was once a speakeasy. I have been in that home as back in the early 2000's when I bought a whole basement full of ceramic molds there. A family had bought it and was in the process of redoing the house. It still had all the original woodwork. All the basement rooms were said to have been used as ladies-in-waiting areas. My husband went up in the widow's walk. It was a really beautiful home in need of a lot of care.
(The Gallery, DPC)

Beer Joint: 1905
Detroit, Michigan, circa 1905. "Goebel Brewing Co., bottling works." Our third look at ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 05/16/2019 - 8:38am -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1905. "Goebel Brewing Co., bottling works." Our third look at the brewery at Rivard and Maple streets. 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size.
CompositionLove the composition of this one. And that is one precariously leaning pile on the right.
Rivard St.My great-grandfather had a saloon at 519 Rivard, it would have been just down the street, not sure which direction we're looking in the photo. Great find, thanks!
(The Gallery, Detroit Photos, DPC)
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