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Cloud Mountain: 1943
... Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Vaughn and Belen, New Mexico, into the Rio Grande River Valley. In the distance is a quarry on ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/15/2013 - 8:14am -

March 1943. "Coming out of the mountains on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Vaughn and Belen, New Mexico, into the Rio Grande River Valley. In the distance is a quarry on the mountainside where the railroad gets its rock for ballast." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Belen Harvey HouseBack up the track in Belen the ATSF depot still stands and is used by BNSF and Amtrak (though that segment is in danger of losing Amtrak service). Right next door is a Harvey House that now (thankfully is preserved as a museum). Those cattle guardswe referred to in Alberta as Texas Gates. Yep, that's what it isCattle grids similar to this are common in Australia. They stop movement of all animals, as animals won't step on something with a sharp top edge, or even a rounded top, such as pipe. Generally, about a 3" gap between the grid strips also provides a barrier, because animals are fearful of gaps where they put their feet. Grids built with spaced rail line are also used in Australia where strength is needed, such as a grid on a road used by heavy trucks. However, I've seen a grid where one of the narrow boards on the angled side section, fell down onto the grid - and 345 sheep walked out over the grid, in single file - as sheep do! Never knew about the double rail - thanks for that interesting info! Is this a cattle grid?I'm curious: I guess this wooden construction is built to hold back cattle or deer but how does it work? It looks like the iron strips make it hard for a large animal to cross, but I don't understand these wooden triangles. Wouldn't a straight fence be simpler? Can anyone shed some light on this? Inner railsThe inner set of rails over the trestle are a safety device, designed to make it less likely that train cars will overturn and plummet off the trestle in case of a derailment. The wheels on one side of a derailed car would be caught between the regular rail and the inner rail, with a bit of luck keeping the car upright. Inner rails are sometimes called Jordan rails. I'm not sure why, but presumably it is not related to the Hashemite Kingdom. Still ThereFound it. 20 miles southeast of Belen and we're looking south here. The track makes a short S-turn here and this is the middle of the S. You can see the eastbound curve up ahead. Looks single-track then but twin-tracks now. The quarry is still there but looks to have been abandoned long ago. EDIT: SouthEAST of Belen, not southwest. Sorry for any confusion! Other worldlyThis almost surreal photo showcases the mystical, mysterious side of the well-named Land of Enchantment. Cattle gateI believe we're looking at a cattle gate here. Barb-wire to either side of the tracks, barriers, and the funny looking treads on the road-bed. I've been told that cattle don't like to step on these "treads" and that's what keeps them on the other side of the gate. LocationThe bridge is the one at 34.457N 106.5038W http://binged.it/1b0hrrN Cattle guard...It appears to be a cattle guard, as I have always heard them called. They work because cattle are afraid to walk over the open grid they create. the triangles on the ends are just so the cattle don't walk around it, but it still give clearance for the train. A fence would mean the train would have to stop and open and close a gate each trip! I don't know if they work for deer or not, but rather doubt it given the deer's leaping ability. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads)
Kids at Play: 1940
May 1940. "Recess time at grade school in Hobbs, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2018 - 11:30am -

May 1940. "Recess time at grade school in Hobbs, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Recess the way I remember it!Where to begin? Boys wrasslin' and roughhousing, too many kids on the seesaw and slide, rocks everywhere - and I see London, I see France, I see some girl's underpants! BTW, I live only about 45 miles from Hobbs, NM. Bullying.This is when bullying was just part of play time. Fights in progress, fights finishing and fights about to begin. Playground equipment... must have been quite a novelty in 1940. MoonscapeThat's a pretty rough playground for little ones. I imagine there were a few bloody knees when the bell finally rang. Fun playgroundsThe playground at my elementary school in the '50s at least had grass, minimal rocks. But the boys were very much like the boys here. Lots of roughhousing. Games were tough, all were a tackle game of some sort. Don't know what the girls did, we weren't interested. They certainly did not play any of the "boy" games. But that was all overseas. In 1961, we went on vacation to the US. My mom stuck me in a 5th grade class in a public school in Santa Ana CA. Playground was sanitized then. No roughhousing, no tackle games, etc. My thought was that the kids were a bunch of wimps. They weren't. I did get in trouble with a new found friend when I found out he like to roughhouse as much as I did. We both got detention. Of course it wasn't the kids' fault that there were no rough and tumble games, they did not make the rules. It was the parents and the school administration. Recess was boring. I couldn't wait to go back home where it was fun. Soft surfaceI remember when the debate at my kids’ school for the playground surface was wood chips or rubberized. How about lots of rocks? With regard to the merry-go-round on the far right: Word was, when I was a kid, that if you fell underneath while it was spinning, certain death would result. No adult supervisionThis wild "playtime" would never be tolerated today by parents who demand that there be only organized games, safety patrol observers and several teachers on playground duty whenever they release the kids from their classrooms. Not only are most of the boys in this picture pummeling each other or getting prepped to pick a fight, I even see a girl on the left (climbing the stairs of the big slide) about to push another girl off of a seesaw. I don't know if kids were tougher then or if parents just let their children deal with the consequences of their own behavior. I do think that most of these kids got their clothes dirty and also came home each day with a new bruise or two. Rough playgroundLooking at that playground surface, my first thought was: "I'll bet the school nurse had Mercurochrome by the quart." Child's play It just shows you that no matter what the circumstances -- blazing sun, grassless play yard that looks like the edge of a gravel pit -- the total enjoyment on these children's faces says it all. Rodeo BoysI would say one of the two boys that are on the ground, the one with the cowboy boot must live on a cattle ranch. Prosperous CommunityAll the kids have shoes, unlike many other Shorpy pics. (The Gallery, Education, Schools, Kids, Russell Lee)
Million Dollar Highway: 1940
... last frontier drives ever. We used to drive up from New Mexico to play basketball with Ouray and Silverton. This road made bus ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/23/2008 - 9:39am -

October 1940. "Million Dollar Highway is cut through massive rocks in Ouray County, Colorado." U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray. Now a paved modern highway, this is a spectacular mountain route that I've driven many times over the years. View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. Ouray ActivitiesThe creek you see at the bottom of the photo flows into Ouray and is diverted through perforated pipes set along the canyon rim in the winter. The sheets of ice formed by the water trickling over the rocks create a perfect ice climbing venue, with competitions every January and February. The creek flows into the Uncompaghre River (Native American name meaning "no cell service"). The hot springs in town are a great way to take the chill off your bones after a day on the ice. [My favorite summer activity: Jeeping the Alpine Loop and exploring the ghost towns along the way. Especially Animas Forks. The Western Hotel in Ouray is a good place to stay. Or the Beaumont if you want fancy. - Dave] Red Mountain Pass If I am not mistaken this section of road climbs over Red Mountain Pass. A few years back I rode my bicycle over this pass, with 750 other riders,on the way to Durango. While it is now a "modern paved highway" it still has no guardrails as they would be an impairment to clearing the many feet of snow they get each year. The drop off right next to the edge of the road(first on the right side then the left) made some want to hug the center line, but the car traffic was not conducive to this. The night before we left for the ride a shop owner in Ouray gave bikers this advice. "For the first 12 miles lean left. For the next 12 miles lean right." Bus ride anyone?This is truly one of the greatest last frontier drives ever. We used to drive up from New Mexico to play basketball with Ouray and Silverton. This road made bus trips very interesting. Great photo. HistoryThe Million Dollar Highway got its start in the 1880s as a 12-mile toll road between Ironton and Ouray, a remarkable feat considering it was before the age of the internal combustion engine and done by men with picks and shovels, working in snow and very low temperatures. Drive thru in the winter to appreciate. I've jeeped this area extensively... see pics at www.fotki.com/tbill and www.fotki.com/tbilmelms 550I remember riding over this highway during WW2 when I was a very small child. It wasn't paved yet and was just barely passable for two vehicles going in opposite directions. The driver always had to honk when approaching a blind curve, and the car on the outside had to move over and stop for the inside vehicle. I was terrified and spent much of the trip huddled down in the back seat with my eyes closed. We lived in Pagosa Springs at the time, and I am a Colorado native, so mountain roads were nothing new to me. But this one was the worst. I was between 3 and 4 at the time. Eek!I have driven this during the summer and even then I wanted to hug the centerline. I can't imagine driving this during the winter. Golden RuleWhen I was a kid in the 40's, we were taught that the name for the Million Dollar Highway comes from the value of the ore-bearing fill that was used to construct it. As kids, we would gather mill tailings from the road sides in the mountains and take them home to extract gold by crushing and panning. We would alway get a few flakes of gold. I'm sure that there are few or none of these piles of tailings left because the price of gold now makes it profitable to use the very low grade ore. (The Gallery, On the Road, Russell Lee)
Grinder: 1943
February 1943. "Moreno Valley, Colfax County, New Mexico. George Mutz's daughter grinding meat on the ranch." Our second look ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/23/2014 - 5:33pm -

February 1943. "Moreno Valley, Colfax County, New Mexico. George Mutz's daughter grinding meat on the ranch." Our second look at Mary Mutz in the kitchen. Photo by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. Wash your clothes - grind your meatI have an early 1930's Maytag washer with a gas engine on it. Also have the meat grinder attachment which allowed one to remove the wringer and attach the meat grinder. It still works as we have ground up venison with it. It's fun to take to antique farm machinery shows and show kids how it works by "grinding" play dough instead of meat. Keeps the flies down on those hot summer days. I still have one of theseI use it occasionally to make bread crumbs! Calling OSHAShe's pushing the meat in with her fingers? Not a chunky metal tool? My mother's grinder came with a tool and my mother taught me never to get my fingers near the opening well before I was 4. [Maybe the recipe is Meat Loaf with Lady Fingers. - Dave] Foley MillMy mother had one of these way back when.My job was to turn the crank so she could grind up the meat of the day, whatever it was. She did make killer sausage and hamburger with it! I have one too. I have one down the cellar just like this also though I don't use it anymore. My mother used it to make clam cakes by grinding the clams in it. Meat grinder memories.......one of which was my mother shoving chunks of otherwise inedible meat through a grinder similar to this. (With her fingers, of course.) But a much worse memory was the sound of it; all that muscle, gristle, fat, etc., being ground up into our next meal. Yuck. [Not to mention the fingers. -tterrace] She died with all her fingers, thank you! But she was terrified of those newfangled food processors. So dangerous! We used this oftenfor potato pancakes. Mom & Dad would grind peeled potatoes, every once in a while throw an onion into the grinder and let the liquid drain off. Throw in a tiny amount of flour & seasoning. Fry in lard. Slather finished product with butter served with apple sauce on the side. This was the best dinner! The finger-saving secretMy mom had one of these, and we used it for years. I wish I had it today, as it was much easier to use and clean than a food processor! As for the finger thing, my mother used more meat to push the meat through. When the meat was pretty much gone, she used a raw potato to push the rest of it through and clean the grinder. Other than receiving the proper cautions, I never thought it was dangerous. My mom had one too!!!She would make ground bologna sandwiches! Oh the good old days. I wonder what happened to hers. I see them around at flea markets & Ebay now & then. (The Gallery, John Collier, Kitchens etc.)
Santa Fe Trailways: 1940
... June 1940. "Stage in front of the post office at Pie Town, New Mexico. This stage comes through daily except Sunday. It takes in cream for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2020 - 2:10pm -

June 1940. "Stage in front of the post office at Pie Town, New Mexico. This stage comes through daily except Sunday. It takes in cream for the Pie Town farmers to Magdalena and Socorro and then returns the empty cans." Our second look at the Pie Town stop of the Socorro-Springerville Express. Medium format negative by Russell Lee. View full size. Nice touchI notice some light colored pinstriping on the wheel wells of the fenders on this great vehicle. Car 1403, Where Are You?I wonder how long it took them to cover the 150 plus miles between Socorro and Springerville. And if that was the load always carried, how many miles between flats, breakdowns, and other assorted mechanical problems. Hoosier Taxi jump seatsWhen I was young, circa 1963, my hometown had a few taxis that looked just like this. What I found most interesting was that on the back of the front seats there were four little round seats, each about the size of a dinner plate, that folded down; sitting on one meant you were facing the folks on the rear seat. Every Tuesday in the summer, my mom and aunt would call a taxi, and shovel all nine of the kids (aged 4-12) they had between them into the back. As the smallest, I ALWAYS managed to grab one of the little fold-down seats. And off we'd go, without adults, to the New Moon theatre to watch a double header matinee for 25 cents each. Who needs seatbelts when there are nine little bodies packed in like sardines? And the taxi would be waiting a block away for us every time, what days those werec... Oh, and my brother managed to open the suicide door once and almost fell out as we were moving along! I just remembered that! Sailing Alonghttps://www.allpar.com/history/plymouth/1937.html Pie TownThe vehicle appears to be a 1937 Plymouth DeLuxe seven-passenger sedan. For those who didn't know, the road between Socorro and Springerville is Highway 60. The Continental Divide at 8,000 feet is just east of Pie Town and the highway at that time was unpaved. Anywhere but hereWho's the young man inside the door, dreaming of life somewhere else? Picked up a rockLooks like one of those unpaved roads threw a rock into the windshield in front of the passenger. If someone was seated there at the time it must have been a shock. Parcel PostThe taxi company must also have a contract with the Post Office Department. That's a #2 Parcel Post sack being carried into the building. How do I know? 36 years with the Postal Service. I recognize the hasp. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gas Stations, Pie Town, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Child of the Depression: 1935
... whose family resettled on the Bosque Farms project in New Mexico. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1935. View full size. (The ... 
 
Posted by Ken - 09/08/2011 - 10:01pm -

A farm child whose family resettled on the Bosque Farms project in New Mexico. Photograph by Dorothea Lange, 1935. View full size. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, Kids, Rural America)
J.D. Leon General Store: 1943
... of the J.D. Leon general store in Cerro. Taos County, New Mexico. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Collier. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/02/2008 - 1:26pm -

Spring 1943. Closeup of the J.D. Leon general store in Cerro. Taos County, New Mexico. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by John Collier. View full size. Wind GeneratorIs that a wind generator in the upper right of the photo? In many rural areas they were a common source of electricity for charging batteries. [Most windmills like that were used for pumping water. - Dave] Dogs?The one on the left looks like a sheep! WindmillThere is no way that windmill was used to pump water...unless it charged batteries that ran an electric pump. It's a wind generator. That store owner was "green" before it was cool! [Not quite. Windmills have been used all over the West for decades to fill watering troughs and storage tanks. They drive mechanical pumps. - Dave] WinchargerMy vote is for a wind generator. http://www.wincharger.com/ads/index.htm Cow tanksMy father's family has a farm in Soutwest Nebraska and windmills were used to fill water tanks for cattle out in the pastures. The house had electric power for everything, but it was easier to set up a windmill out in the pasture were power lines were not available or dependable. Plus the willmills and water pumps were very easy for the farmer to fix, didn't have to call the power company and wait forever to a linesman to show up. Outta GasSadly, I can't find any online records of remaining stations selling Conoco or any other gasoline in Cerro. Fuel up before heading out that way. (Kodachromes, Dogs, Horses, John Collier, Stores & Markets)
Play Date: 1924
... border and then it looks to go through Lubbock into New Mexico. I tried looking at a few period maps but I can't figure out what ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/13/2014 - 9:50am -

February 21, 1924. Washington, D.C. "McLeod & Robt. M. Clancy." So what's going on here? National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Blown TiresInteresting they are both left front tires. We have a manufacturing quality control issue here. Repeal the TaxMichigan Congressmen Clarence J. McLeod and Robert H. Clancy consider repealing WWI era taxes. Bad News/Good NewsSome kind of anti-tax publicity photo. Tag on the truck reads: Bad News for the Owners Good News for Uncle Sam 5% War Excise Tax Must Be Paid to Repair This Broken Wheel The tax was imposed during World War I and hung on after the Armistice. As taxes tend to do. Accident re-creationAt first I actually thought these guys might be recreating accidents, as we have seen previously here and here, but the scale is all wrong. The Island of Broken ToysThis is where all the broken toys used to go and where our missing ones are still. The race is onThey're making final preparations for the Congressional Pinewood Derby. Strange RoadIn the map behind them there is a road or railroad that runs just south of the Texas - Oklahoma border and then it looks to go through Lubbock into New Mexico. I tried looking at a few period maps but I can't figure out what this line represents. Anyone have an idea? [It's an outline showing drainage basin watersheds (and, not incidentally, the borders of the Louisiana Purchase). - Dave] Or maybe they are considering a "flat" tax! Precursor"If only we could get these to fit in a matchbox..." (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Shove It: 1942
... this time. The 200th Coastal Artillery Regiment was a New Mexico National Guard anti-aircraft coastal artillery regiment, converted ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/06/2013 - 7:54pm -

March 1942. Virginia Beach, Va. "Fort Story coast defense. A tough job for soldiers is shoving the breech block of the giant howitzer into place. The screw threads help the block to withstand millions of foot-pounds of pressure caused by the exploding charge." Photo by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information. View full size. Being a pedantic engineer.The term would be "pounds per square inch" of pressure. "Foot-pounds" is a unit of torque, not pressure. [Foot-pound can also be a unit of energy. - Dave] Doughboy helmetsRather than the pots that soldiers cooked in from WW2 until the advent of Kevlar in the late '80s, these guys appear to be wearing leftovers from the previous war. Keep Strapped, Boys!Many a soldier's neck was broken from exploding ordnance within their proximity during WWI, thanks to the chin strap. No wonder many doughboys refused to strap themselves in. Where?Is it just me, or does it have the look of being shoot in a studio or on a sound stage? [It resembles that look because Palmer aimed supplementary flash from the right to illuminate their faces, which otherwise would have been in shadow. -tterrace] All dressed up and nowhere to goExcept for the defense of Corregidor in 1942, a few engagements during the Civil War, and some salient actions during the War of 1812, the US Army's seacoast artillery never fired a shot in anger. Nevertheless, that arm was responsible for many innovations, particularly in fire direction techniques and gun design, that paid significant dividends when applied by the field artillery in both world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf. As for the WW I-style helmets, they were retained in low-priority units (such as Stateside coast artillery batteries) well after we entered WW II because priority for the new "steel pot" helmet naturally went to units deployed or deploying into harm's way. Army and Marine units that left the States after Pearl Harbor did so with the new helmet, of course, but those troops fighting in the Philippines from December 1941 to April 1942 had to be content with the Doughboy's "tin hat," designed primarily to protect against overhead artillery bursts and virtually useless against anything else. Into the Breech!Here's what the view in the other direction looks like. Some of these 16" guns (this is a Navy model) were used for industrial purposes for super-high pressure powdered metal sintering. This particular one is still in use today! Doughboy Helmets part deuxMy father was drafted into the Army (7th Cavalry, no less) in mid-1940 and they were issued uniforms straight from WWI vintage complete with "salad bowl" helmets. While in the cavalry they wore wide brim "soft" hats instead of helmets. When the unit was converted to armor in 1944 they became an amphibious tank battalion and then wore standard tankers helmets. From a different angleThese soldiers are man-handling the breechblock of a 16-inch caliber howitzer, a massive weapon that fired a shell weighing over a ton. Here's a view of a similar breechblock on a 16-inch gun in the defenses of San Francisco that illustrates the scale of these artillery pieces. (The highly burnished steel shows the care that soldiers lavished on these huge -- and expensive -- weapons.) M1917A1 HelmetLectrogeek, the helmets worn in the photo are the Model 1917A1--the shell is the standard Model 1917 of World War I vintage, but with an improved liner and chin strap assembly. The modification was authorized in 1936 and the modified helmets began to be produced in 1940. The M1 helmet ["steel pot"] was adopted in the summer of 1941, but due to a delay in tooling up to produce the new helmet, the M1917A1's continued to be made through the end of 1941 and were widely used throughout 1942 until the supply of M1 helmets caught up with the demand. The older helmet was declared obsolete later that year and the M1 helmet would go on to serve through the mid 1980s. Coastal ArtilleryMany Coastal Artillery regiments were converted to anti-aircraft units around this time. The 200th Coastal Artillery Regiment was a New Mexico National Guard anti-aircraft coastal artillery regiment, converted from a cavalry regiment in 1940. They were sent to the Philippines, arriving in November of 1941. A great number of them died in Japanese captivity Finally a picture from here…I live at the beach, just blocks from Fort Story. It is a very small base and my friends and i would hang out there and skateboard down these hilly road that they built on the sand dunes. That was in the early 80's, but it is still the same now. We would sneak through the woods and "smoke" back there and find old bomb shells just laying the sand. 4ft long at least. They have a bunch of underground bunkers with doors that appear to go into a sand hill… Very odd looking with rusted old locks on the doors. There was a strip club on the base that we could also sneak into and drink at 16. I was never in the service, nor were my friends, but we certainly had a great time on that base. No one was ever around…? We never met a single military person. Still i have only met a few, and lived in Va. Beach for 44 years. Good Times. Thanks Shorpy. BreachThis type of breach lock is known as buttress thread. (The Gallery, Alfred Palmer, WW2)
Band of Brothers: 1940
June 1940. Pie Town, New Mexico. "Farmer and his brother making music." Photo by Russell Lee for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:01pm -

June 1940. Pie Town, New Mexico. "Farmer and his brother making music." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Background PhotosIt would be nice to have a close up of those family photos in the background. Also of the ring on the younger brother's hand, which is unusual. [Done! A quarter in the tip cup would be nice. - Dave] GuitarWow, I have a guitar that looks almost exactly like that one. It's a 1940s Swedish-made Levin bought by my father, and I learned to play with it. Levin GuitarStarting (I think) in the late 1950's, Levins were sold in USA under the name Goya. Guitar PlayerHe must be pretty good playing up at the 7th fret like that. Also, look at the tanned arms of the fiddler player. (The Gallery, Music, Pie Town, Rural America, Russell Lee)
Clovis Man: 1943
March 1943. "Clovis, New Mexico. D.L. Clark, engineer, ready to start his locomotive out of the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/17/2009 - 8:36pm -

March 1943. "Clovis, New Mexico. D.L. Clark, engineer, ready to start his locomotive out of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad yard." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Smokin'That's a clovis cigarette, I assume. Poetical, ain't itI just like saying "Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe." BNSFAT&SF merged with Burlington Northern (formed when the Chicago Burlington and Quincy merged with the Great Northern) to form the Burlington Northern Santa Fe a few years ago. The famous round logo of the AT&SF morphed into a green logo (the green coming from the BN logo). It's a somewhat sad but fascinating thing to trace the evolution of railroad names as they merged themselves out of existence over the last several decades. Engineer DadI wish that I had a picture of my father at work -- he was an engineer on the Pennsylvania RR from the 1940s until he died in 1951, when I was less than a year old. I have family pictures of him but none of him in his railroad environment. Fighter pilots of their day.My dad grew up during the Great Depression. They did not have much except people to look up to and admire. The train engineer was one. He expressed how they were awed by how one or two men could operate such a modern marvel. Then, I remember being awed by my dad when he told me these stories of how he and his friends would spend hours at the railyard just watching and enjoying the sights and sounds of these magnificent bygone machines of fire and steam. I can relate to your sentiments DoctorKMy grandfather was a 'hogger' on the Canadian Pacific. He had the only job I ever really dreamed of having. He died when I was about 7; I wished he had lived long enough to show me the roundhouse and yards out of which he operated. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Hawkeye Troop: 1956
... was 14 I went on an expedition to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. The troop I went with all wore the short-sleeved shirt (which had ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/08/2012 - 6:29pm -

"Boy Scouts 1956." Our young friend Kermy is holding the flag on the right in this Kodachrome slide found on eBay. View full size. Balmer BoysOverlea is part of Greater Baltimore. Today's Maryland Troop 433 is now located in Olney which is west of the city. http://www.troop433.org/ Jungle GreensFor some reason the poses in this shot, particularly of the lads squatting at the front, remind me of photos of young soldiers in Vietnam or Korea. I guess a few years into the future from here, these lads may well have been those soldiers. Uniformed and proud.A time when the BS wore full uniforms and looked the part. I remember having to wear the official shorts, socks, shirts, berets etc. We were proud to do that as well and were always dong some volunteer task the town asked us for. We had a huge Scout troop in my hometown 40-60 at one time. I recently went back for the 4th of July parade in the hometown and was dismayed at the look the local Scouts took on. 7-10 members now shuffling down the street: shirts un-tucked, baggy cargo shorts, flip flops; barely any trace they were indeed BS. Total slobs. Oh well. Kermy's from Maryland!I would have guessed Iowa, glad to hear it. Mounting evidenceSomething tells me the evidence will start building sufficiently from these photos to track down Kermy and his sister. I wore that uniformMinus the convenient folding brimless hat, whatever you call it. I know the hat is military in origin, but I also associate it with fast food clerks. When we wore hats at all, they were ball caps. I was one of the last Scouts to wear this style uniform. The new uniforms, with the lighter-color shirts and epaulets, were introduced about 1981. I wanted to be up to date, but my parents had just bought my uniform and were determined to wait until I outgrew it, which I did soon enough. The Scout troops that beat everybody else in the knot-tying competitions must have worn their uniforms all the time. That wasn't us. It was only much later that I understood that they were busy perfecting these skills, while we were backpacking 100 miles, and climbing Mount Whitney. I think we had more fun. 1950 censusI wish we had access to the 1950 census, so we could look for a family in Overlea, Maryland, with a little boy named Kermit (at least I can't think of any other name that Kermy would be short for). azhdragon is right. These kids would have been in the age group of most who served in Vietnam. Its a very sobering thought. Scout seniorityWhen I was in Boy Scouts in the early 80s, we had the recently-introduced khaki shirt with dark OD green trousers and a mesh back baseball cap [OD green with the BSA emblem in center]. However, some of the older Scouts and a few of the adult leaders still had the old style, all-OD green uniform as shown in this photo. Sort of an indication that they were "old-timers" and still wore the older uniform to prove it. It definitely looked a lot sharper than the ones we had and was also more comfortable. This could have beena picture of my troop in the early 60's. The garrison cap worn by these Scouts was still the official "topper" for scouts of my era. Not that Troop 433Troop 433 of the Balto. Council still meets at a Methodist church in Perryville. I've been trying to identify the campsite but it's not obviously either of the two local boy scout camps (Broad Creek or Hawk Mountain) or in Patapsco Park on the other side of the city. The poseI noticed their poses as well. I think they were very consciously (without realizing it, if that makes any sense) mimicking the poses they saw their fathers taking in the unit pics from WW II. I was a Cub Scout in 56, but graduated to the green uniforms in 1958. That hat style was what we called a garrison cap in the Marine Corps, but it had a slightly ruder common name, the p*ss cutter. BSAMost of these kids are probably about 2 years older than me. I was a Cub Scout in Kansas from 1956 to 59, and a Boy Scout from 1959 to 1964. We all wore the long-sleeved shirt, which for reasons I never understood required you to fold the collar inside the shirt before putting on the neckerchief. When I was 14 I went on an expedition to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. The troop I went with all wore the short-sleeved shirt (which had no collar), short pants, and a campaign hat (which was an optional item.) After that, I never went back to the long-sleeved shirt, even in winter. (Boy Scouts, Kermy Kodachromes)
Pie Town Singers: 1940
... of the ladies' quintet at a community sing in Pie Town, New Mexico. View full size. Medium-format safety negative by Russell Lee. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 7:03pm -

June 1940. Three members of the ladies' quintet at a community sing in Pie Town, New Mexico. View full size. Medium-format safety negative by Russell Lee. Ladies' QuintetI want to see the other two. And I want to know what song they're singing. SingersThey have to be closely related, they look so much alike. The nose bridge piece on the center woman's glasses is different than the others, and the classes fit more closely across the nose. These may be pince nez type, especially C-type, that stay on by spring or fit power on and around the nose. Teddy Roosevelt wore them, for example. How......does the hottie in the middle keep those glasses on? GlassesThe woman in the center could be wearing pince nez glasses or more like the ear piiece on the side we can see got beant and couldn't be bent back into shape and broke and either they can't get to where they can get replacements or Can't afford to right now so she's making do. Done it once or twice myself. Hymns and HersThey are singing from the famous "shape note" song book, "Sacred Harp". Mostly hymns. Relatives?Such a marvelous picture, brimming with incredibly touching details. "Sow Good Deeds" should be on everyone's playlist, hm? Want to See the Other TwoI don't think it gets any better. (The Gallery, Music, Pie Town, Russell Lee)
Backtrack: 1943
March 1943. "Willard, New Mexico. Santa Fe flagman walks back to signal any oncoming trains during a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/31/2017 - 3:54pm -

March 1943. "Willard, New Mexico. Santa Fe flagman walks back to signal any oncoming trains during a stop for water between Vaughn and Belen." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. FlaggingThat's what you call drawbar flagging. He's supposed to go back a sufficient distance to stop following trains before they rear end his train. It looks like he's already stopped walking and at that distance, an oncoming train will see his caboose before they see him. Lady in Red!Why wouldn't the signal be dropped to red/stop while the train is occupying that section of track to take on water? A highball signal and drawbar flagging seems a dangerous combination. I am confusedThe signal is facing the back of the train, which suggests to me that the the train has just exited the block the signal protects. Am I confused? Waiting, Watering, and Westbound In WillardBased on a Santa Fe Railroad Mile Post (MP) track chart, the water tank/tower was at Willard at MP 839.9, west of Vaughn at MP 788.5 and east of Belen at MP 896.9. The signal in the photograph is at MP 840.2 (about 1,400 feet east of the water stop) and has color lenses that appear to be visible only to eastbound trains. There is, very likely, a signal for westbound trains located on the opposite side of the track, to the left, out of the photograph. Since the caboose is just west of the signal, the train is not occupying the track block that the signal is protecting for eastbound traffic. And since the signal is clear/green for eastbound traffic, most likely there is no other (westbound) train in the track block to the east and, perhaps, that is why the conductor or brakeman does not need to walk too far behind the stopped train in this particular situation. SignalThe semaphore signal in view is for traffic in the opposite direction. The caboose has just cleared, by mere feet, that block and therefore the signal has gone to clear. The unseen signal for the direction of traffic that "our" train is taking would definitely be red with the blade of the semaphore horizontal. Lady in GreenThe signal is for trains in the opposite direction. Keep your eyes out for Walt, Jesse and MikeThey want your methylamine. The signal for this block IS redLook way down the track, toward the hills rising behind, and on the left side of the track you will indeed see a semaphore signal with its arm horizontal (red). (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Landscapes, Railroads)
Bosque Farms Baby: 1935
... December 1935. "Resettled at Bosque Farms project in New Mexico. Family of four from Taos Junction shows temporary dwelling." ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/27/2012 - 10:33am -

December 1935. "Resettled at Bosque Farms project in New Mexico. Family of four from Taos Junction shows temporary dwelling." Medium-format negative by Dorothea Lange for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Holy Mother of PearlThat is one beautiful mother and wife. Lucky guy-- I guess. Wistful and GorgeousDorothea Lange's exposures never fail to gratify, so beautiful and such a sweet hopeful scene. Justifiably proudIt is very hard to believe in this day and age that anyone could be proud to call a place like this home. It looks like nothing more than a shack. The look on this beautiful woman's face tells the real story. Her family has a roof over their heads and the future holds hope for an even better life. I often wonder what happened to these brave people in the years to follow. Dorothea Lange had a way of showing the plight of the rural family without stripping them of their dignity. We all need to remember what a very different place this country was in 1935. Better or worse, I am not sure. BeautyShe is a beautiful mother, but I would feel the same about this photo if she were ugly. I ask in total ignorance: what was the history of these 'Dorothea Lange' people? Were they once respectable farmers? ScreensWhen asked which invention was the most important in her long lifetime, a friend's great-grandmother (who had lived in the mountains of Kentucky most of her 90+ years) said, without hesitation, "Window screens." It seems pretty luxurious even for a shack like this to have a screen door and, it looks like, screens on the windows. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Kids)
On Second Thought: 1939
September 1939. "Sign along the road near Capulin, New Mexico." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/25/2017 - 4:45pm -

September 1939. "Sign along the road near Capulin, New Mexico." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Hotel YuccaThe building is now a bank but the swastikas remain around the upper perimeter. More info at Hotel Yucca history. "An interesting history"https://blogs.uh.edu/hotel-historian/2013/03/04/yucca-hotel-new-mexico/ "Freshening the Brand"... as we say in the marketing biz. "Rest Assured"Rest assured of what? Since it's in quotation marks, I guess it's no guarantee of whatever they have in mind. Kind of like the farmer's market down the road from me with its "Fresh" Vegetables sign. Native AmericanThe swastika had various innocuous meanings for Southwestern Indian tribes, hence the hotel theme. Resting assuredI think the "rest assured" means "you are assured to get a good rest here. Safely and comfortably." [Indeed. It's a pun -- a play on the common idiom "rest assured", the twist being that it's meant literally, in the sense of sleeping or relaxing, as opposed to the figurative sense of "be confident." - Dave] What They Did Not See ComingThis wasn't an isolated case. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, WW2)
Unread Messages: 1943
March 1943. "Isleta, New Mexico. The Santa Fe depot. Horizontal arms on pole indicate a 'red beard,' ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/07/2016 - 12:21pm -

March 1943. "Isleta, New Mexico. The Santa Fe depot. Horizontal arms on pole indicate a 'red beard,' that is a message is to be picked up by the train crew." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. MultitaskingThe indication also required (I think) the engineer to step into the office and sign for the orders. It was also used in a not-by-the-book way by the station operator to slow down a train moving at high speed. Setting the indication would change the preceding track signal(s), telling the engineer to essentially approach at medium speed. This would give the operator extra time to transcribe or prepare train orders being given over telegraph or phone. Hopefully, the operator could reset the signal(s) before the train reached the station and pass the written orders to the trainmen on the fly as usual. Beard??I think that should be "red board", not "red beard". Signals were known as "boards"; the origin is pretty clear in this example. Interesting that both arms are horizontal (red boards), indicating that the operator has train orders (the "message") for trains in both directions, eastbound and westbound. Bad handwriting?Red board, he probably meant to write. He's next to the line to El Paso, looking north; the line west to California curves away. Sure not what it used to beIn 1986 an agreement was reached between the nation’s railroads and the Transportation Communication Employees Union which voided the exclusive right of operators to handle train orders. Operators had for a long time arranged for the written orders train crews were obliged to follow. Radios, computers and fax machines essentially rendered train orders moot, and hence the need for operators. Operators handling train orders today are very few and far between. Yours truly was one of them up until 1990, and I’m quite certain the control operator at the station I worked still handles them occasionally. After 1986 train dispatchers generally supervised train movements directly, issuing instructions to train crews by radio, often using track warrant and/or DTC operating authority. Regarding steamghost’s remarks, a “31” order had to be signed for, a “19” order did not. Order BoardsThe "messages" were Train Orders transmitted by the Train Dispatcher located usually in the division offices. Rules often specified that the signal remain at stop both ways until the engineer blew four short toots to "call for the board" . . . . if no orders, the operator would clear the signal in his direction, then reset to stop after the train had passed. This practice varied by company, but was a "fail-safe" to make sure the train received any orders. Most Western railroads abandoned the practice later, leaving the signals clear most of the time. If there were orders some orders would be delivered on "the fly" but certain orders required signatures. Again, it varied by railroad. E. W. Luke Retired Train Dispatcher. All StopIn some locations, order boards were to be left in stop position. When a train approached, if there were no orders, the signal was cleared. Form 19 vs. Form 31 Train OrdersThere were two commonplace forms used for Train Orders; Form 19 and Form 31. A Form 19 order can be "hooped up" to a passing train, meaning that the order was fastened to a wooden hoop on a lightweight pole handle, and the crew of a passing train would catch the hoop on their arm, pull off the orders, and drop the hoop for re-use. Two hoops would be prepared, one to pass up to the locomotive and one to pass up to the caboose. A Form 31 order must be "signed for", so the train must stop to receive it. The operator would keep a signed copy. Train Orders are nicknamed "flimsies" because the pre-printed forms were on a translucent "onion skin" paper so that they could be read by holding them up to the glow of a kerosene lantern or a steam locomotive firebox, just slightly opened to let out some light. (The full glare of a hot firebox is dazzling - it would take away one's night vision for a while.) (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Vanishing Point: 1943
... Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Belen and Gallup, New Mexico." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/15/2013 - 12:32pm -

March 1943. "On the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe between Belen and Gallup, New Mexico." Photo by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. CuriousThere looks like a slight amount of motion in the foreground; I wonder if Delano shot from the back of a moving train. Jack strikes again!Another great photo from the The Man! On a Clear DayYou can see forever. Singing the praises of Shorpy railroad photosLove Shorpy's railroad photos. This one brings to mind the Johnny Mercer song "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe." It won an Oscar when introduced by Judy Garland in The Harvey Girls. Do you hear that whistle down the line? I figure that it's engine number forty-nine She's the only one that'll sound that way On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. Not from a moving trainBased on the telephone pole spacing, there is a maximum of 500 feet between the headlamp and Delano's lens. By railroad standards, that's tailgating. Following train is stopped.The smoke is blowing toward the photographer. If the following train were actually moving, the smoke would be in a trail behind the train, rather than moving ahead of it. Crosswinds"The smoke is blowing toward the photographer. If the following train were actually moving, the smoke would be in a trail behind the train" Not if there's a crosswind. Also, in my opinion his perspective is too low to be standing on the caboose platform. I believe the most likely explanation is that Delano's train is in the siding, and he has stepped off the train for this photo. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Parched Okies: 1939
... days and nights it is from Ardmore, Oklahoma to Roswell, New Mexico at only one horsepower, but reckoned I'm with grandma, no matter the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/15/2013 - 11:34am -

August 1939. "Drought-stricken farmer and family near Muskogee, Oklahoma. Agricultural day laborer." Wanted: Escalade with tinted glass. Large format negative by Dorothea Lange, Resettlement Administration. View full size. Question for wagon owners Why is there fabric woven through the spokes of that front wheel? Better Times AheadAfter the royalties from "Billy Jack" started rolling in. Are we there yet?That wagon is a familiar sight. Even as of the mid-60s, one could still see such a rig on the road here in Oklahoma. Old Mr. Hoffman who mowed my grandmother's yard with a non-powered reel-type mower drove such a rig. Another guy, a neighbor, drove one daily until the early 70s. All us neighborhood kids used to run out and stare whenever we heard the rig creaking and the tackle jingling. It only now seems ironic that about the same time, we all gathered under the night sky to watch another neighbor fly overhead in Skylab. My last surviving uncle (of ten kids) was telling me about how my grandfather drove such a wagon from Roswell, NM to Texas and Oklahoma time and again until my grandmother put her foot down somewhere around 1910 and put an end to family "vacations" visiting relatives by wagon (in winter, no less!) after the second of ten had come along. I've wondered how many days and nights it is from Ardmore, Oklahoma to Roswell, New Mexico at only one horsepower, but reckoned I'm with grandma, no matter the answer. I had her campfire coffee, though, and I reckon it'd get you going. Under my umbrella, ella, ella, eh?That poor woman--I can only imagine an August in Oklahoma and how little good that umbrella did. That tiny, ineffective shade against the heat and sun illustrates the futility here perhaps even better than the wagon does. Handsome hubby though, so I guess she had that going for her. Wheel WeaveThe wheel spokes are loose in the hub. The fabric, when soaked with water will hold moisture much longer at the hub where it is most needed to swell and tighten the spokes. Much like soaking an axe head with its handle in a bucket of water. Luck of the DrawWhat a beautiful woman - she looks like Virginia Woolf. In another life she could have been something less uncomfortable. (The Gallery, Dorothea Lange, Dust Bowl, Kids)
Llano de San Juan: 1940
July or October 1940. Church at Llano de San Juan, New Mexico. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 2:01pm -

July or October 1940. Church at Llano de San Juan, New Mexico. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. Llano de San JuanThere is an interior photograph of a house in Llano de San Juan in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The photo is by Alex Harris. Beautiful SkyKodachrome and images of the sky seem to go together! and, they do age well. That is the creepiestThat is the creepiest church. Imagine, at night. Llano de San JuanWhat is amazing is how this image could have been taken yesterday. This church is that unchanged...oh, except the doors are not as white. It's still used on special occasions. I miss my KodachromeNothing like a roll of Kodachrome and a polarizing filter. May they rest in peace, gone the way of the steam train and the internal combustion engine. Oh the saturation! (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Rural America, Russell Lee)
The Sheltering Sky: 1943
... Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in the vicinity of Encino, New Mexico. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2012 - 3:28pm -

Santa Fe R.R. trip, March 1943. Section house along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in the vicinity of Encino, New Mexico. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. I walk the lineUp until the mid 1980s the very busy railway line that passes through my town had "sectionmen" doing just exactly that. They carried a spike maul over their shoulder and walked along the track. The foreman had a gasoline track motor car which could be heard put-putting along this line. We even still had the telegraph poles along the right-of-way. Today that is all gone along with the cabooses on freight trains. Maintenance-of-way personnel now drive fully equipped 3 or 4 ton trucks that are able to use pavement. They are also "tricked out" with a retractable set of steel wheels to take to the rails as needed. (The Gallery, Kodachromes, Jack Delano, Landscapes, WW2)
Family Trip: 1937
... across the desert in search of work in cotton at Roswell, New Mexico. U.S. Route 70, Arizona." Where are the cupholders on this rig? ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/29/2013 - 11:22am -

May 1937. "Migratory family traveling across the desert in search of work in cotton at Roswell, New Mexico. U.S. Route 70, Arizona." Where are the cupholders on this rig? Dorothea Lange / Resettlement Administration photo. View full size. The Clampetts PrototypeThe Beverly Hillbillies, minus the laugh track. Probably very little laughter happening at this moment in this family's life. CupholdersI see eight of the old fashioned kind, if you include the 2 kids. There's cotton in Roswell?A quick look at the Google sat shows many center-pivot irrigation machines in the Roswell vicinity. I'd expect cotton there today. I was a little skeptical that there would have been cotton in the desert in 1937, but what do I know? There are enough people in that family that there is no way they could have all ridden in the cab of that pickup. It's a good thing the top speed of a Ford Model T is only about 40 mph. Even then, that mattress would have been a "thrill ride". Hard times?No doubt, but I'll bet those kids told the story of their adventures to their kids, and their grandkids until they were sick of hearing it. Like a lot of things that seemed terrible at the time it probably becomes a bit more of a romantic adventure years down the road. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Dorothea Lange, Great Depression, On the Road)
Questa: 1939
September 1939. "Street scene. Questa, New Mexico." One last look at the business district of this bucolic burg before ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/19/2018 - 11:25am -

September 1939. "Street scene. Questa, New Mexico." One last look at the business district of this bucolic burg before we motor west. Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Indian(a) Gasoline, father of TexacoIndian Refining Company was one of the ancestors of Texaco. I found this page with a history of Indian Asphalt/Indian Refining of Indiana (only sort of), Havermeyer Oil (the creators of Havoline motor oil), and Texaco in all its variations. Given how Indian and Texaco's histories are intertwined, I'm not the least surprised to find an Indian pump installed at a station sporting a Texaco sign. Indian GasThe nearer pump globe sports an "Indian Gas" logo. Who has the dope on Indian brand gasoline? Bet those globes fetch a few bucks today. Am I seeing right?Does the sign by the hood of the car really read "MONEY FOR SALE"? [No, honey. - Dave] Tivoli BreweryFounded in 1859, closed in 1969, and reopened in 2016 in its original Denver location. If These Shabby, Flimsy Walls Could Only TalkThey might say a few things about a rough little town. Excerpt from Another Time in This Place: Historia, Cultura y Vida en Questa (2003) by Tessie Rael y Ortega and Judith Cuddihy: "“At this time [1943], Questa had the most despicable reputation with anyone else. So Father Smith decided to do something. One day he got an axe and starting tearing down the bridge, the only way out of town. When people saw what he was doing, they were furious. They said, “What are you doing that for?” And Father Smith said, “If I don’t tear down the bridge, it’ll fall down.” The people said, “In that case, we’ll help you.” So they tore it down and then they realized what they had done. “Now we can’t get out of town,” they said. Father Smith said, “I guess you’ll have to build another one.” And they did. Father Smith lived in a house on top of a hill where the Parish Hall is now located. From there he could see everything that was going on in town—who was fighting, who was hanging out in bars, and so forth. One day he had a police siren mounted on top of his car. Whenever he saw a disturbance, he’d turn on the siren and go down. He said to them, “Did you see it? Did you hear it? Then swallow it.” He succeeded in remodeling Questa. Two years later it won a prize for civil cooperation.” Lunch SuppliesThe typeface on the Groceries sign looks very modern and a bit out of place compared to the others. Is it neon? Sipping Four Roses at the Four Roses.That step just outside the door of the Four Roses Cafe seems like it would be trouble for a sober man but a man full of Four Roses Bourbon served by the saucy redheaded Four Roses barmaid would defy gravity and blessed drunkenness if he were able to navigate it and steer a homeward bound course. (The Gallery, Gas Stations, Russell Lee, Stores & Markets)
Meet the Mutzes: 1943
February 1943. "Moreno Valley, Colfax County, New Mexico. Dinnertime on George Mutz's ranch." Our fourth visit with various ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/30/2014 - 7:09pm -

February 1943. "Moreno Valley, Colfax County, New Mexico. Dinnertime on George Mutz's ranch." Our fourth visit with various members of the Mutz family. Photo by John Collier for the Office of War Information. View full size. Mmmm - Cake for desert!Please pass the ketchup. Remembering gingerbreadIn the olden days, Moms often whipped up freshly baked warm, home-made gingerbread for dessert. Sometimes it was topped with real whipped cream and chopped nuts. I reckon that is what the Mutz family is having tonight. Clockwise from leftGeorge Herman Mutz Jr.; Robert George Mutz; Grandma (Tena Augusta Kaiser Mutz); Tina Jeanine Mutz; Helen Rose Mutz; Virginia Fern Mutz (hidden, and often misnamed "Mary" by Collier); George Mutz Sr. [Regarding Mary, people are often known by something other than their given names. - Dave] Re-Remembering GingerbreadI am from the UK originally and I remember my Grandma fixing this. Yum!!! PitcherThe pitcher on the table is depression glass: "Manhattan" by Anchor Hocking. Great photo.I could mistake this one for a Norman Rockwell painting. (The Gallery, John Collier, Kitchens etc.)
Free Air, Cash Meat: 1939
September 1939. "Market and grocery in Questa, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2018 - 9:01pm -

September 1939. "Market and grocery in Questa, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. SignageI shutter to think what a picker wold pay for all those signs. [It's "shudder." - Dave] Equal relief for men & ladiesIf the meat or vegetables are not all that fresh and end up causing digestive problems, thankfully there are two outhouses to run to at the back of the grocery shop. Fully equippedFully equipped with all the modern conveniences... including facilities for Men and Ladies out back. I wonder why they were called 'Cash Markets'?In the town where I grew up there was a small store a couple of blocks from us, called "Scotties' Cash Market". It was was pretty small, but it had a lot of stuff packed in that space. Did a good business in the 1960s, but died a slow death in the 1970s when two things happened: (a) the town turned the street it was on (the Main Street) from two lanes with parking into four lanes and banned parking, and (b) a 7-11 clone opened down the street with off-street parking. [It means you can't buy on credit or run up a tab. - Dave] AvalonYou’d never guess they cost you less. Everything a road traveler could need or wantOne very well stocked roadside market, cigarettes, tobacco, rolling papers, bags of flour, Coca Cola, free air and comfortable rest rooms. Those OuthousesI hope the meat coolers were on the other side of the store. Shorpy Parade of Pickups PastAbout a 1935 Dodle. If you go much earlier in the 30s, the Dodles I can find pictures of had rear-hinged "suicide" doors, at least on the driver's side. Of course, it's possible that Fiat Mercedes-Benz Chrysler Dodge Brothers built a pickup with a suicide driver's door and a regular passenger door, to clear the spare tire -- that would be a very Chrysler thing to do. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Iron Butterfly: 1943
March 1943. Albuquerque, New Mexico. "Lifting an engine to be carried to another part of the Atchison, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/18/2013 - 12:09pm -

March 1943. Albuquerque, New Mexico. "Lifting an engine to be carried to another part of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe shops for wheeling." Photo by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. Not a Butterfly...It looks like a gigantic Praying Mantis with its small head on a large body turned almost 90º to look at us. It certainly qualifiesas a "heavier than air" conveyance. Makes senseSteam does tend to rise. MonstersWhen I was a little girl way back when, these types of very large behemoths scared me to grabbing my dad's pants leg and hiding behind him shaking like a leaf. I couldn't get away from them fast enough. ;D My dad was a diesel mechanic the majority of his working life and he worked on some pretty big machinery. It always scared me silly. Looking at these pictures still has a bit of that effect on me. It's almost as if it has turned it's head to look at me and say "BOO!!!" I hope the train never fell on anyone. 22 years down, 12 to goBy the number, this is a 4-8-2 "Mountain", built by Baldwin in 1921. If it was all there, it would weigh over 352,000 pounds! After this rebuild, 3733 went on to hit a "Caterpillar shovel" in 1945. It was scrapped in 1955. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Cow Town: 1943
... and Santa Fe Railroad between Amarillo, Texas, and Clovis, New Mexico." Nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 6:07pm -

March 1943. "Hereford, Texas. Passing the depot on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad between Amarillo, Texas, and Clovis, New Mexico." Nitrate negative by Jack Delano for the Office of War Information. View full size. It's Still ThereAlways good to see these old places survive. View Larger Map HerefordI've got personal photos taken from this same spot, only facing the other way to capture a nice view of the co-op elevator instead of the old depot. I'm not sure what my interest in the grain elevator was other than the huge "Hereford Grains" sign on the side of it. I wish I'd turned around and snapped a photo of the old depot to present you instead but the Google version is also okay. When I was in Hereford, a container train passed through town every 20 minutes all day and night long. It's a busy railroad town. It's also a busy feedlot town with all the aromatic scents that go with it. You folks on the east coast miss out on so many olfactory experiences that go with where your BigMac started from. CleanWhat I just love about these Jack Delano photos along the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe line is how he makes everything look so CLEAN. Then and NowI really enjoy seeing then and now pictures. You should consider an album of them. We used to have one of those depotsThe Santa Fe RR runs through Chillicothe, Illinois. One of my earliest memories (summer 1944) is a visit to the train station there, an almost exact duplicate of the one in Hereford. My mother took me with her because Eddie Cantor (among other celebrities, I assume) would be making a short stop on the way to Chicago on trip to promote buying War Bonds. My grandfather, a then-retired conductor for the Santa Fe who had worked for some 40 years, often took me with him when he went to talk with some friends who still were still working at the station. When we moved back to Chillicothe, we lived 2 blocks from the depot. The sound of the trains lulled me to sleep many nights. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
My Ears Are Burning: 1940
... corn which he has roasted on top of hot stove. Chamisal, New Mexico." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/25/2020 - 4:33pm -

July 1940. "Spanish-American boy eating sweet corn which he has roasted on top of hot stove. Chamisal, New Mexico." Photo by Russell Lee, Farm Security Administration. View full size. On the MendCool patch on the inside of the boy’s pant leg. Very extensive, too, from just above the ankle to above the knee. And the basic serviceable sewing job looks like something I would do. Not what you’d call invisible stitching. Good EatsThis young man's family may not have much (search LOC and you'll find a picture of them) but he seems to be happy. More than likely about the sweet corn he is heating and eating. I remember eating corn this way as a kid, but I was not as lucky as this young man to be able to cook it myself. I was given the job of cleaning up, not cooking. Jarring seasonI wonder what's in the pressure cooker. Apricots maybe? Guessing from the jars that are already done? Are there that many apricot trees in NM? Roast 'n earsMy father (1898-1958) called them. (The Gallery, Kids, Kitchens etc., Rural America, Russell Lee)
Barroom Besties: 1940
June 1940. "Youngsters in a bar at Mogollon, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/24/2018 - 7:58pm -

June 1940. "Youngsters in a bar at Mogollon, New Mexico." Medium format negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Russell Lee migrationAre these snowbirds down from Minnesota? Just in case —Can opener: Check Flashlight: Check Revolver: Check Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. PBRGood old days. Young people drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon without a hint of irony. Right on TimeMr. Loosetie appears to be wearing an Illinois "Ace" wristwatch. Very popular today among collectors. Ashtray?Apparently the floor. Old Colonel Quickie-MartLove his poster up on the wall. Barroom Safety CheckDuring my misspent youth I always looked at the ashtrays when going into a new bar. In a bar with heavy glass ashtrays you were less likely to get into a fight than bars that had those light aluminum trays. Owners not only know their clientèle's favorite drinks but also know if their customers are prone to picking up an ashtray and whacking someone over the head. In the lighter tray bars I always found a seat where could keep my back to a wall to avoid incoming in case I happened to disparage some customer's favorite ballplayer. A no-tray bar, especially one with sawdust on the floor (used to soak up the blood), was usually a no-talk zone until I became familiar with the customers. PS. To get better service in a busy new bar, leave a tip with each drink, and if the bartender is an man call him Ace or Chief. If a woman, say "Hello darlin'" with a slight Southern accent then go on with "Aren't you a sweet looking lady." Always worked for me. I seldom had to flag them down since they usually were watching me, and a nod and a raised glass got me a fresh drink. (The Gallery, Russell Lee)
Night Train: 1943
... on the steep and curvy Raton Pass grade in Colorado and New Mexico. This begot one of the most popular wheel arrangements in America ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/07/2013 - 3:46pm -

March 1943. "Barstow, California. A view of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe yard at night." Medium-format negative by Jack Delano. View full size. 2-10-2 "Santa Fe Type"The Santa Fe steam locomotive 1691 in the photo, is one of the earliest examples of a locomotive type which was named after the railroad. They descend from the 2-10-0 "Decapod" type, to which the Santa Fe added a one axle "trailing truck" under the cab in 1903, for better tracking on the steep and curvy Raton Pass grade in Colorado and New Mexico. This begot one of the most popular wheel arrangements in America for heavy freight service. Maybe We'll Steam AgainThere's a group up at the University of Minnesota working with some 501c3 organization refitting a Baldwin to run on Biomass. They think they can get better emissions, efficiency, and power than diesel once they get it right. Even got themselves a website: http://www.csrail.org/. It would be awfully neat if we could see these kinds of things again! That Odd TenderThat slopeback tender behind the first loco was uniquely used on the Santa Fe, and was not original equipment on that particular engine. It came originally attached to one of the 2-10-10-2 mallets used to push trains over Cajon Pass. Built early in the century, they were the world's largest locomotives in their day, yet proved so impractical and labor intensive that they were short lived, like most behemoth locomotives produced in that era. They were scrapped in the 1930's, and MAY have been (I don't have my Santa Fe books handy, so don't quote me on it) converted into two 2-10-0 types. Engines died, but tenders, especially practical designs like the slopeback, lived on until the very end of steam. Whale, not slopeThat type of tender was known on the Santa Fe as a whaleback. Slopeback tenders were typically used with switch engines not road power - though, as always, there were exceptions. The biggest problems Santa Fe had with the 2-10-10-2s were with their jointed boilers. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
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