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Hobbled: 1917
... "Artillery Wheels" that were so popular on higher-end cars of that period. An old saw "What, you want $20 to repair and ... a doctor." Kissel Kar? There was once a time that cars were so few that individual sales were reported in the newspaper. Shaw ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/23/2012 - 6:18pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1917. "Dr. W.J. Davis, disabled auto." Take two aspirin and call me in the morning. Harris & Ewing glass negative. View full size. Been there, done thatI'll bet he was cuttin' cookies in the snow. Then made an excuse that a horse ran in front of him. Got a Spare?Here's a case where a spare tire, even on a demountable rim, avails you nought. If only the entire wheel could be unbolted! We can only suppose the unlucky driver skidded on the icy road and plowed into the curb. However we get an unusual view of an interesting "3/4 elliptic"(?) rear spring system as well as a view of dual contracting-band rear brakes, one presumably for regular service and the other for the parking brake. Bald Tire BluesIt's impossible to determine what might have caused this accident, but that bald tire running on snow certainly didn't help. The spare doesn't have any tread on it either! Let's hope that the good doctor took better care of his patients than he did of his car. Meantime, a horse-drawn ice wagon moves peacefully by in the background... "Get a horse!" I told you..we shouldn't have tried to remove the wheel clamp. How'd he do that?Anyone have any thoughts on how he managed to break off all the spokes so dramatically without apparent damage to the car? Four forms of transportationYou see four forms of transportation, a wagon, a street car, walking and a vehicle. The one of those most likely to break down, has. Some things never change. Wooden WheelsThat's the downside of the wooden "Artillery Wheels" that were so popular on higher-end cars of that period. An old saw"What, you want $20 to repair and replace that tire, the whole job won't take an hour? I'm a doctor and I don't earn $20 an hour." Mechanic to Dr. Davis: "I know, That's one of the reasons I quit being a doctor." Kissel Kar?There was once a time that cars were so few that individual sales were reported in the newspaper. Shaw & Brown Co. were gem dealers located at 1114 F Street. Washington Post, Sep 10, 1916 The Automobile World ... The Henderson-Rowe Auto Company reports the following sales for the past week: ... Kissel Kars to ....Dr. W.J. Davis... Nice touchon the photo with the Ice truck in the background. Shaw & BrownWere jewelers located at 1114 F Street NW. I found the location from a series of theater programs for Washington. Here is the link. If you look through it you will see ads for several other Washington businesses. http://digital.libraries.ou.edu/whc/nam/manuscripts/Cutlip_C_11_08.pdf Wood is GoodWooden wheels were used on virtually all cars of this era. Some of the high end and sporty cars used wire spokes, but wood was the norm. To a TArtillery wheels weren't just for "higher end cars" - the Model T had them, too. They were a holdover from the horse-drawn wagon days, and were soon to be replaced by stamped steel discs, or wire wheels (like on the Model A). Make and modelMy question is, what kind of car is it? I can't make out the rear "hub cap." Looks sorta like a 1917 Cadillac from a cursory Google search. How'd-ee doo dat?I suspect that he ran the wheel on the rim after he got a flat, just like I have seen drivers do today. If you run on a metal rim, you get a shower of sparks and a dented-up rim. If you run on a wood-spoke wheel without the tire long enough, you'd get splinters for spokes. Of course there are always the possible contributions of our wee winged friends in this matter. Because this wheel was made of wood, it could have alternatively had a termite problem. It doesn't look like doc was much on preventive maintenance for his car. After a couple really good bumps in the road... Open carsI'm seeing so many open cars on Shorpy that I ask: Did the inside (seats?) not start to rot eventually being exposed all the time? And then there's that hole in the body, left above the running board. Did it allow rainwater to flow out? [Most cars back then were open, as were most horse-drawn conveyances. Seats and benches were upholstered with leather. The opening looks like a bolt hole. - Dave] Baby it's cold outsideCheck out the old-style gauntlet gloves worn by the guy walking by the car. Busted SpokesThe damage to the spokes was, clearly, cased by some sort of collision, probably with a curb. The spokes are broken rather cleanly. Not so evident is the fact that the left wheel is also AWOL. This car slid to the right, struck the curb and snapped the right wheel off, where it caught under the hub assembly. The left wheel suffered the same fate and is probably in the gutter. The car is far too new to have any termite damage to the spokes Spokes PersonFirst, thanks for this beautiful picture of a beautiful car. The large hole in the body is to allow a mechanic to extract the pivot bolt from the forward leaf spring without disturbing the bodywork. (The forward end mirrors the rear end visible in the photo.) Looking at the splinter pattern on the spokes, the car probably skidded sideways into the curb that broke the wheel off (clean break at the 12 o'clock spoke with bevel outboard). Pinwheel splinters at the 9 and 3 o'clock position suggest that power was still being applied to the rear wheel. These spokes are in a "no load" position and would show torque damage more clearly. The WeatherI hope Dr. Davis found somewhere warm to wait while his car was towed. Judging by how high the men have pulled their coats up around their faces, I'd say it was pretty darn cold out there. Kissel Kar indeedLooks like stanton_square nailed it. No TreadI don't see any tread on the busted wheel, nor the spare. Slick as a whistle. Maybe tread would have keep him from skidding so fast and hard. Open and ShutCars of the era were often open because steel sheet was made in relatively small pieces - pieces that could be handled by one person. In the early 1920s the American Rolling Mill Co. of Middletown OH invented continuous rolling in which rolled steel could be produced of virtually unlimited length. From this point on things changed in automobile design and a other areas such as the design and cost of appliances. In the late 1920s cars many closed cars had large openings in the roof that were covered with canvas because the continuous rolled steel was limited in width. This limitation was overcome about 1930, and the modern auto was possible. The American Rolling Mill Co became ARMCO Steel and is now AK Steel. Charlie (ret'd metallurgist and Patent Atty) (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing)
Skooter: 1928
Bumper cars at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, circa ... the big feature this season, has twenty-five two-seat cars that dash here and there bumping into one another over 10,000 square feet ... [The mesh carries the electrical current that powers the cars. - Dave] Bumper Cars You know you're getting old when the kids ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/04/2012 - 8:00pm -

Bumper cars at the Glen Echo amusement park in Montgomery County, Maryland, circa 1928. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. The Kid With No HeadThere's a ghostly figure of a man next to the kid on the right with no head. This ride is too dangerous, Mommy! Been there!I rode those in the early 1960s .. They used to have a radio jingle: "Fun is where you find it, Where do you find it? Glen Echo Amusement Park!" I can still hear it today. Little Ladiesapparently didn't play on such an aggressive ride back then! Dashing Here & There Washington Post, May 25, 1924 The "Skooter," the big feature this season, has twenty-five two-seat cars that dash here and there bumping into one another over 10,000 square feet of steel flooring, electrically driven and controlled by the driver. Bumper Car PavilionThis building still exists. There's an NPS page on its history. BirdsI bet the mesh on the rafters was to keep birds from roosting up there and doing what they do on the people below. [The mesh carries the electrical current that powers the cars. - Dave] Bumper CarsYou know you're getting old when the kids start misidentifying things "everyone" knows. I remember the sound of the metal strip sparking as it glided over the mesh, the tinge of ozone in the air. There were occasionally dead zones in the mesh. The operator would have to push you a few feet, or you would have to wait for a friendly bump. Six Flags still has this type of ride available, as will many older amusement parks. Since the primary enjoyment of this ride is low-speed vehicular collisions, they have been less popular with park owners. Glen Echo echo"The coaster dip is cool and so's the crystal pool, bla bla blablabla bla bla bla bla Glen Echo Amusement Park." The song is in my head, too, but what are the "blabla" words? Glen Echo After DarkI think the bla-bla words are For summer time fun it's Glen Echo after dark And no seat belts either!I wonder how many riders fell out of the cars? Bumper Car Pavilion is a dance hall nowToday, the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture (www.glenechopark.org) presents dances in the Bumper Car Pavilion. Visitors can hear live music and dance the night away in this unique, historic building throughout most of the year. (The Gallery, Natl Photo, Sports)
Westbound Freight: 1943
... hard to tell from this angle, but the fourth and fifth cars in front of the cabin, (caboose to you non-Pennsy fans), look very much like helium cars. These fairly rare cars were used by the U.S. Navy to ship helium gas ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/05/2012 - 6:08pm -

March 1943. "Chillicothe, Illinois. Changing crews and cabooses of a westbound freight along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad." Medium-format safety negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. Why the War Information Office?Jack Delano seemed to specialize in photo's of railroads (and this one in particular) during WWII. But why? Historic revelationMy dad started in Chillicothe, Il for the Santa Fe in 1939 as a switchman, by 1943 he was in Britain with the American army railway division headed to France after D-Day. Even as cold as it looks in this photo I am sure he would rather have been in Illinois. Lighter Than AirAnother wonderful railroad scene. You can almost feel the chill. It's hard to tell from this angle, but the fourth and fifth cars in front of the cabin, (caboose to you non-Pennsy fans), look very much like helium cars. These fairly rare cars were used by the U.S. Navy to ship helium gas for their "Blimp" fleet. They consisted of multiple horizontal tanks on a specialized flat car. Their use was discontinued shortly after the war so they really date the photo. He's a good photographer!Man, that Jack Delano had an eye for a photo. Helium tank carsHelium tank cars were in use at least into the 70's. It is used in a variety industrial and medical applications. The U.S. had the monopoly on helium which was drawn from natural gas drilled in Texas. Why Photograph RailroadsWWII honed logistics to a science. We had never fought a war of such magnitude, and documenting the inner workings of the nation as it converted to war production was valuable for tactical reasons. Virtually everything needed by a modern industrial nation and military had to move incredible distances in a short time. Railroads were the only long-distance, all-weather, heavy-duty transportation system available and they hauled everything from staples to Sherman tanks. Trucks were used, but with a national 35mph speed limit, plus gas and tire rationing, cross-country haulage as we take it for granted now was limited. As propaganda, these photos showed our enemies we could make guns and butter at the same time. And in the end, our ability to out-produce and move supplies ultimately secured victory. I believe the Office of War Information grew directly out of the Farm Home Administration photo project, where Delano had worked during the Depression. He was simply on assignment (he really wasn't railfan as we know them now, although his work is still very much appreciated and respected by us) when he took these photos. He later wrote a book "The Iron Horse at War" showcasing his cross-country wartime rail travels, in black and white photos. It's not well known, but railroads also had an agenda in publicizing these photos. The War Powers act allows the government to nationalize and operate critical infrastructure (like the railroads) during a national emergency — this occurred after the US entered WWI, and the resulting United States Railroad Administration is still cited as an example of government ineptitude to this day. Railroads wanted to avoid this at all costs and made no secret of the fact they were doing twice the work with half the equipment they had in 1917 at every opportunity. AT&SF Ry It was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, not AT&SF Railroad. The Office of War Information seems to have consistently mangled this particular bit of information. that looks a lot like thethat looks a lot like the shot from "Days of Heaven" Tramp?I find it interesting that there is a man with his valise standing on the right of way. I suspect he was going to hitch a ride. On the Road AgainNot a tramp — that's likely the conductor waiting at trackside. The waycar (caboose) is carrying marker lamps, so technically this is now a train. The switcher has completed its shove and come to a full stop, so it’s safe for the man on the ground to climb aboard. He's bent over slightly and has his right hand around the handle, so I'm guessing he's picking up his bag. While a crew would work between division point terminals roughly 100 or so miles apart, they could be on duty up to 16 continuous hours during this era (very common during the war with the volume of traffic and shortages of manpower). Crews would be away from their home terminal for several days, so they carried everything they needed in a small suitcase or "grip" in railroad slang. I believe waycars were still assigned to conductors at this time (that's why they would be changed), so he and the rear brakeman would live in the car until they got home. The talented Mr. DelanoI was intrigued to learn, via Wikipedia, that Jack Delano was also a classical composer of some note, including an early experimenter with electronic music techniques. Also a film director. And related by marriage to Ben Shahn. He was born in Ukraine (birth name Ovcharov), and grew up in Pennsylvania. (Shorpy's capsule biography of him is not quite accurate: he was 9 when his family emigrated, well before the Depression.) For the last fifty years of his long life (1914-1997) he lived in Puerto Rico, where he made use of local folk material in his ballet and choral compositions. Helper AssignmentSince the picture was labeled as Chillicothe, it would most likely be that we are seeing the helper engine coupling onto a westbound Santa Fe train that is about to climb Edelstein Hill. After the shove up the hill, the helper and crew would back down from Edelstein to the Chillicothe Yard. This line is double tracked. Besides the engine crew, the helper would have carried a flagman (brakeman). That is my take on this picture. An excellent exposure and composition. USRA locomotive designs were classics"the resulting United States Railroad Administration is still cited as an example of government ineptitude to this day" Oh? Perhaps in rabidly pro-corporate and anti-government circles, but aside from the Ayn Randies many people recognized that the USRA delivered some classic locomotive designs, as well as promoting coordinated planning. Railroad management was rarely cooperative unless colluding to screw their customers. And not just a turn of the century thing, either - look at the crooks that looted the Penn-Central years later. Helper serviceThe caption is probably correct. Almost assuredly the locomotive is changing cabooses or making some sort of switching move on the rear of the train. The caboose looks like an old wooden style so a helper locomotive would have to be cut in ahead of it. Also, if it were a helper, the markers would have to be placed on the rear of that locomotive, not the rear of the caboose. Caboose changeSeason's greetings from Germany. It certainly is a change of caboose. The switcher in the picture had just taken off the old caboose - a Sante Fé with number 1860 - and crew, while having pushed the new caboose coupled to its front and dropped off the new crew there in the coldness. Now the switcher again has returned only with the now-empty new caboose - A.T.S.F. 1743. The last of the three crew members picks up his bags and climbs aboard while the switcher puts into reverse and is ready to leave. I am the proud owner of Delanos picture book with the above information. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Main Street: 1920
... nearly every business seems to be displaying one. Cars & More Cars It is amazing just how quickly the automobile took over the center of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 1:33pm -

Fall River, Massachusetts, circa 1920. "Main Street." Where Hustle meets Bustle. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Took an axeLook for an older lady in the photo. It could be Lizzie Borden, who would have been 60 around the time of this picture. A Hat Company's DreamNary a man, women or child who doesn't don a hat! I have worn "old men's hats" since I was in high school, and it's hard to find fedoras these days. I love studying the people and try and imagine what the conversations of the day were about. Of course, I am a pipe smoker, so my eyes were drawn to one on the sidewalk. Lots to look at in this photo! Weather StationWow! An awful lot going on in this picture! I like the weather instruments perched atop the corner of the building in the upper left. I wonder if that belongs to the drug store below or an amateur meteorologist? Ashes by nowPretty much everything in this photo is gone. A massive fire in 1928 destroyed many of the buildings seen here, including the Mohican Hotel, the Globe Newspaper building, and the Wilbur. The imposing edifice on the right is City Hall, which was demolished in the 1960s to make room for I-195. Fall River had been a massive, highly prosperous textile manufacturing city in the late 1800s. As the mills closed or moved south in the 1930s, the city suffered an economic collapse and never recovered. It's a pretty sad, empty place today. Signs of the Times I'm nostalgic for the civility evident in a photo like this. There is an obvious formality in the architecture and dress but it is balanced by a casual interaction evidenced by the people stopping to chat in the street, walking and shopping. The streets are busy but no one is racing. This was the only "social network"! As a sign painter (rapidly becoming a dinosaur) I'm just staggered by the volume and variety of the work in this and many similar shots. Before the dominance of the computer all this work was done by hand and there was enough work to keep any skilled craftsman busy full time. No corporate plastic indistinguishable from one city to the next. Thanks for letting me time travel back to my grandfathers time -- the upside of the computer! Same womanThe woman with the wide white collar by the Drugstore is also in this photo! Judging by the amount of peopleit must be a Saturday. Long may she waveThere's a little flag on the window of the A.G. Weeks office on the left. I've never seen that in this era of photos. I wonder if it's painted or a decal. Gold Dust TwinsThe fabled Gold Dust Twins! I have heard about them all my life, but this is the first time I've laid eyes on them. Thank you, Dave. [You're welcome, and you can see more of them here. - Dave] Standing on the CornerWatching all the girls go by. Wait, that was the Four Lads. 1953. Some things never change. Standing on the CornerWatching all the girls phweet phwew go by. The guys on the right of the photo are great! As mentioned previously, the interaction between so many of these people on the street is wonderful to see. Now I think they would be talking but not face to face. WowIn all of the hundreds (thousands) of photos I have ravenously devoured since discovering Shorpy just recently, this one has to be the most richly detailed. Wonderful! Your diligent work has had a profound impact on me, Dave. Thanks so much. Re: Took an axeI think Lizzie was a bit of a recluse by this time. She was very big into animal care. The human-nature specialist will give a knowing nod on that fact. RexallI had no idea Martin Balsam's middle name was "Cough." Speaking of signsNote the one for Occident Flour. I'd like to make more and better bread too. (She says while surfing the net at work.) But I'm such a Shorpy addict! Stars and StripesIt's interesting to count the flags; nearly every business seems to be displaying one. Cars & More CarsIt is amazing just how quickly the automobile took over the center of the cities. In pics from 1905 hardly any cars, around 1910 we see a few more, but by 1920 they dominate the scene! I have two very different responses to this photoThis picture brings about two very different responses in me. (1) Being that I'm a huge history buff born and brought up in the U.S., these snapshots of old Americana are so exciting for me. Like others, I love combing through the photo for fascinating details, and can't help but wonder what these lovely people talked and thought about as they went about their day. Likely, save for references to modern amenities and gadgets, I'd probably marvel at how their ponderings don't veer that far from my own every day ones. Soon after, I start wishing I could step into the photograph and walk among these people. I'd love to eavesdrop and interact with them, smell the air around us, take in the warmth of the sun, and just feel the difference a century makes. This rumination however, quickly brings on my second response: (2) As a person of color I wonder how reality would really shape my experience walking down this street. How would I be looked at and treated by these people? I see the joviality and smiles on their faces, but I wonder if I would be shunned and turned away from if I were the one to approach them. Someone mentioned the civility with which these people seem to present themselves, and I certainly understand that it was in response to their clothes and manner of walk, but I wonder how civil they would be when faced with someone of differing color? (Sorry to bring this up, this is just what my damn brain turns to and till now, I've never spoken of it on this site). Apothecary!What are cold and grip pills? [Remedies for people with colds or the grip (also spelled grippe). - Dave] Interesting notethis entire section of main street was destroyed by a fire on February 2, 1928. Gold Dust TwinsIf you're at all interested in advertising before 1960, I recommend hunting down a copy of Frank Rowsome's "They Laughed When I Sat Down: An Informal History of Advertising in Words and Pictures." You'll find the origins of all kinds of things that are still current (e.g., the origin of "Sunny Jim", Pears' Soap, and on and on). Photographer, please wait 15 seconds!Don't shoot yet, I'd like to see the face of this mystery girl more close. Please, wait until she gets the sunny spot. Thanks! My GrandfatherMy grandfather was a young police officer around this time and makes me wonder if he could be among the three or four police officers I can see in this photo. I find it fascinating to think of the possibility. Also, I thought the fire was stopped at the building just before the Daily Globe and then the wind shifted to the east sending it up Bedford Street. And I'll have to check, but I thought you could still see some of the Globe lettering on the side of the building. Perhaps just a memory from my youth. What this place needs -is traffic lights! I count at least five men wearing the hats of officialdom, while amiable strolling overdressed citizens wander anywhere the muse takes them. A different age that looks rather charming. (The Gallery, DPC, Streetcars)
Long Train Going: 1943
... was still used extensively for boxcar sheathing. Reefer cars (note upward protruding latch for the ice hatch) like the one just in ... in terms of construction materials. Some "war emergency" cars were produced, framed with steel as before, but using wood sheathing for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/20/2013 - 1:46pm -

March 1943. "Canyon, Texas. Approaching the town on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad between Amarillo, Texas, and Clovis, New Mexico." One of hundreds of photos documenting Jack Delano's trip from Chicago to California on a Santa Fe freight for the Office of War Information. View full size. A Cold DayThe the length and contrast of the plume produced by the steam locomotive up ahead indicates it's a cold day in Texas. The picture appears to have been taken hanging out the window of the caboose cupola. I'll bet the crew was happy when he closed that window upstairs, letting all the heat out! I would love to have made this trip. That so much wood is in sight ahead is interesting for many unfamiliar with railroads of the era. We often think of metal and railroads, but even in the mid-1940s, wood was still used extensively for boxcar sheathing. Reefer cars (note upward protruding latch for the ice hatch) like the one just in front of the caboose the photographer is riding in were still almost exclusively wood-sheathed to help reduce heat transmission. The war had a lot to do with what could be seen along the nation's railroad lines, too, in terms of construction materials. Some "war emergency" cars were produced, framed with steel as before, but using wood sheathing for the sides instead of steel, which went to the war effort. Virtually every car the could be pressed into service was repaired and operated. Thus many older cars continued in service when they otherwise would have been scrapped and replace by new. The effects of the Great Depression also contributed, since many railroad held off ordering new equipment, then found themselves handling greatly expanded war traffic while the equipment order they might have placed just before the war was set-aside until victory. It was a good thing, but FDR's relatively limited attempts at economic recovery never really lifted economic activity enough to escape the Great Depression. It was the war itself, with its huge economic stimulus, that finally ended the Great Depression. A lesson about holding off on economic stimulus and austerity budgets that should needs to be emphasized as we struggle into the 6th year of the Great Recession. That's also why there's still a lot of wood in sight along the iron road. Still hauling freight.This curve appears to be about 3 miles north of the center of Canyon, TX and about a mile south of present day Interstate 27. After Canyon the track turns southwest toward Clovis, NM and continues westward toward Albuquerque and Los Angeles. Since the early 20th century this track has been part of the Santa Fe Railroad's(now BNSF)Southern Transcon route between Chicago and Los Angeles. These days you'll see a lot of inter-modal(container) trains on high-priority schedules with transit time from Chicago to Los Angeles in the neighborhood of 55 hours. Are those passenger cars?It looks like there might be a block of about 8 passenger cars deadheading in the freight train, just to the left of the signal. Not unheard of, but I would think unusual in view of the shortage of passenger equipment during the war. Or maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me, which would not be unheard of either. Yeah, they might be passenger carsHard to tell but they sure don't look like freight cars. Could be a repositioning move of troop cars from one base to another. Clovis had some WWII bases near it as I'm sure other towns down the line did. What I'd like to know is what kind of locomotive was pulling them. (The Gallery, Jack Delano, Railroads)
Cash for Your Car: 1942
... From the City Directory 1541 Cahuenga Boulevard Cars from the stars and czars According to the 1942 LA city directory, Monty ... looked pretty reflecting off the shiny paint of the new cars beneath. And back then cars came in much more vivid colors than the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/22/2015 - 11:36pm -

April 1942. "Hollywood, California. Used car lot." All clues point to the street address being 1541. But what's the street? Photo by Russell Lee. View full size. From the City Directory1541 Cahuenga Boulevard Cars from the stars and czarsAccording to the 1942 LA city directory, Monty Kingsbury's was at 1541 Cahuenga Blvd., not far from Hollywood and Vine. Maps today read "N. Cahuenga Blvd." There is no South Cahuenga; Cahuenga East and Cahuenga West do exist. Strings of clear light bulbsI remember as a kid in the 1950s-60s car dealers in my town had strings of seemingly hundreds of those clear light bulbs hanging from wires spanning over their car lots. It must of been a big expense and a lot of maintenance keeping all those bulbs lit but boy at night they sure looked pretty reflecting off the shiny paint of the new cars beneath. And back then cars came in much more vivid colors than the monotonous pastel colors of today. It was all about the tiresSoon after Pearl Harbor, one of Britain's correspondents in the States, a young Alistair Cooke, embarked on a nationwide voyage to see how the war, its shortages, and mobilization affected ordinary Americans. In Los Angeles, he needed a new car, to replace one sold earlier in the trip. "The salesman who finally sold me was in the state of high excitement for forty-eight hours after hearing that a visitor wanted to buy a car for no other reason than to drive around the country. Throughout the subsequent negotiations, he regarded me a an amiable madman. His storeroom was a funeral parlor, the cars lined up there like so many coffins. He admitted stoically that he saw no future for himself unless he went into the Army. About once a month somebody would come in on the pretense of wanting to buy a car and then sneak around prodding the tires and not even bother to look at the engine. These were pestiferous middlemen looking for cars with good rubber and making heavy profits on the immediate resale." (Cooke, "The American Home Front: 1941-1942," p. 152 (published, finally, in 2006).) Almost a CadillacThat first car on the left appears to be a LaSalle. That GM Brand was discontinued in 1940. Alfred P Sloan, the GM leader, believed he was missing a price point between, I'm guessing, the Oldsmobile and the Cadillac. It was first produced in 1927. It was not too long ago that GM also ditched Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Hummer and Saturn in order to stay afloat from the deluge created by the U.S. Market's acceptance of foreign automotive brands. The weakened economy didn't help either. I'll just take the front row (At those prices)Nice stuff sitting there and brings back memories of when I used to visit these places and drool but didn't have the $150 to buy one. Heavy On GM ProductBesides the LaSalle, we have two Cadillacs ('38 at rear, '40 toward the middle) and, penultimately, a '41 Oldsmobile. GM 4, Ford 2. Still ThereIt appears that the dealership building is still there on the SW corner of North Cahuenga and Selma Avenue. The brickwork still visible matches the original as does the three-windowed front of the building. Also, at far right in the original image, the stacked-block (lacking a better term) corner of the building across Selma still exists on the building there today. Best GuessLeft to right: 1940 LaSalle, 1940 Ford, 1941 Ford, 1939 Cadillac, 1941 Olds, and a 1937 Cadillac. [I'm leaning toward 1938 for the far Caddy. -tterrace] Second LaSalleThe car closest to the building is a 1938 LaSalle. The lower headlights help to differentiate it from the 1937 models, but it is the unique trim in 1938 that helps to conclude that it is not a Cadillac. A comparison photo is below. Sales of LaSalles dropped dramatically because or the 1938 recession. In 1937 LaSalle had its best year selling 32,005, but in 1938 only 15,575 were sold. +74Below is the same view from November of 2016. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Los Angeles, Russell Lee)
That Toddlin Town: 1900
... Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Cable Cars Back in the late 1800s, Chicago had a cable car system. My ... of car shown in photo) Officially known as a "grip cars," these streetcars vary slightly from cable cars. A grip car utilizes a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/12/2012 - 5:55am -

September 1, 1900. Chicago, Illinois. "Madison Street east from Fifth Avenue." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Cable CarsBack in the late 1800s, Chicago had a cable car system. My great-grandfather was an engine house engineer for it. MY GOSH!!! the detail is amazing...These are without a doubt my FAVORITE type of Shorpy pics. The clarity and detail found in these 100 year old photos blows me away. Its so easy to imagine walking this street. I'd love to see what it looked like in color (but I must say, I prefer the B&W). I wonder what it smelled like? Question about the Fire.I'm curious to know if this area was destroyed by the Chicago fire. Horse & ElectricInteresting to note that one track is electrified while the other is for horsecars. The view todayThe photo must have been shot from atop the El. Here's the current view from Fifth (now Wells Street) looking east along Madison: View Larger Map Who Says?There's no such thing as a free lunch? It's not only free, it's HOT. You can even get an night lunch, according to the sign. Tacoma BuildingThe tall building on the left is the Tacoma Building of Holabird and Roche, built 1887-1889 and demolished in 1929. It was the first skyscraper designed by the firm, and it used to be described as the first skyscraper - period. (That honor is now disputed among several other buildings in Chicago and New York.) The Tacoma was also the first large building built by a general contractor, the George A. Fuller Company, which later built the Flatiron Building in New York as its corporate headquarters. No such thingRight next door to Vogelsang's restaurant (which presumably does NOT give it away), there is a sign advertising "Free Hot Lunch." I wonder what you had to do to qualify. Listen to a sermon? Make a long-distance telephone call? It must have been something. Because, you know the saying ... Wells to FifthMy first thought was there is no Fifth Avenue in Chicago. But I found that Wells Street was renamed Fifth in 1870 and back to Wells in 1916. What time is it?The hands of the clock in the building tower in the distance (Middle left) show the SAME TIME as the jewelry store clock in the lower right, even though the hands on the jewelry store clock are obviously PAINTED ON! Weird coincidence! [It's 3:40 by the tower clock. At the jeweler's it's always 8:17. - Dave] Billiards & bedsWhere would you stay: The Hotel Midland with rooms for 50¢, 75¢ and $1, or, the Calumet with rooms for 25¢, 20¢ and 15¢ plus the option of weekly rates of $1, $1.25 and $1.50? Think it over while spending 30¢ per hour in the pool hall. If you're a down on your luck pool shark, perhaps you could win enough for the (assumed) better rooms at the Hotel Midland. If you're losing at pool, save enough for a stay in the Calumet. BurnedThis area, along with all of what is now called the Loop, was completely destroyed by the Chicago Fire of 1871. But it was quickly rebuilt, mostly by 1873; many of the buildings in the foreground appear to date from that initial period of reconstruction. Signage CityWhat was "The Record"? That sign almost looks modern in its execution; like something out of the 50s or 60s. And it isn't a simple sign. Any ideas, anyone? [The Chicago Record was a newspaper published from 1893 to 1901. - Dave] Signs, signs, everywhere there's signsThere are at least three signs for sign makers in this photo, and from the looks of things they must have all been working overtime. Wabash ElCenter background is the El station at Wabash and Madison - Nancy says it's still there! A Free LunchFrom the mid 19th century until Prohibition, it was common for bars and taverns to have a "free lunch" table. It often consisted of sandwiches, roast turkey being common. (Turkey was the cheapest meat of the time, much like chicken is now.) Almost always, there was a one-drink minimum purchase required for access to the table, and the indigent or down-on-his-luck fellow might be found trying to eat and run without a purchase. Sometimes, the food selection ran towards salty in nature, so as to provoke thirst in the customers, but in other locations saloons would compete with each other based on the quality of their free lunch table. And, of course, this was the source of the saying "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch". No thanksOne has only to read "The Jungle" to know what you were eating at the "free" lunch counter. Ewwwwwwww! Wells and FifthThat intersection is only two blocks away from my office, where I'm sitting right now. Suffice it to say that virtually none of the buildings pictured (except some of those far in the background, at the east end of Madison) are still standing. Wells is both the original and current name of that cross street. It was originally named for Billy Wells, a hero of the War of 1812, but the street eventually became so notorious as a vice district that its name was thought to be an insult to Wells' good name, so in 1870 the name was changed to Fifth Avenue. Once the vice district was finally cleaned up, the name was changed back to Wells. West Chicago Street RailroadThe Madison Street cable car line was operated by the West Chicago Street Railroad, which was owned by Charles Tyson Yerkes, a famous robber baron. The line was converted to electric on August 19, 1906. May 2010Here's the view today from the same vantage, looking East from the L at Wells & Madison. Lon Chaney and the free lunchThis must have been the same thing that Lon Chaney Jr. (Creighton Chaney) spoke of in a documentary about his father. When Lon Sr. was a struggling stage actor, he would go to places that offered a free lunch. He would buy a beer, which entitled him to go to the free lunch table. He would make a sandwich, then wait until he didn't think anyone was looking, and put the sandwich into his pocket. Then, he'd make another, and keep doing that until he had enough to feed his wife and son, too, all for the price of one beer! Billiard History of ChicagoThis particular strip of Madison was a mecca for billiard businesses (and players) at the time. You'll notice the Breevort Hotel sign on the left. It was owned and operated by Hannah & Hogg, one of Chicago's most successful and well known liquor distributors, who also operated the city's most luxurious bars and billiard halls. Other billiard hall signs can been seen as well, including (distant on the right) a sign for Mussey's. This establishment (since the late 1800s) was well known across America as one of the nations leading billiard and bowling venues. Although you cant discern it in this photo, on Dec 15, 1892 at the intersection of Madison and State, Emanuel Brunswick (a stepbrother of Brunswick's founder - John M. Brunswick) was struck and killed by a street car as it rounded the corner. (same kind of car shown in photo) Officially known as a "grip cars," these streetcars vary slightly from cable cars. A grip car utilizes a moving cable under the street, whereas a cable car is usually driven by an electric line overhead. [The "cable" in cable car refers to the traction cable under the street. - Dave] (The Gallery, Chicago, DPC, Streetcars)
Virginia City With Cars: 1965
... and St. Mary in the Mountains. I was going to identify the cars by make and year, but why should I spoil all the fun? View full size. ... Oh, you *could* have Identifying all the cars yourself might have actually forced us to talk about some other subject ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 09/18/2018 - 10:54pm -

I thought about titling this "A Study in Kodachrome Blue and Red" but didn't. I took it on a trip to the historic Nevada silver mining town in August 1965. The building now houses the Comstock Fire Museum, and the steeples are St. Paul's Episcopal and St. Mary in the Mountains. I was going to identify the cars by make and year, but why should I spoil all the fun? View full size. What about the fifth car?No one has identified the car on the right, the one behind the Mercury. Comstock Firemen's Museum, to-day! Oh, you *could* haveIdentifying all the cars yourself might have actually forced us to talk about some other subject ... such as the firehouse's architectural features. (Davis Italianate Revival commercial, brick, mid-period) Crunch TimeI wonder what the driver of the 1955 Mercury ran into that caved in the fender but spared the trim? Someone else can identify the Pontiac, the Falcon and the Chrysler. OK I'll bitePontiac is 1962, Chrysler 1965, Falcon year not discernible. Looks like building once had four symmetrical windows then they converted two into a door. My first visit here was todayWhen I realized I live about four hours away from Virginia City, and inspired by the vintage photos you've posted, I struck out today for my first time visit. I just returned from my road trip, and was pleasantly surprised to see your photo of what I'd been viewing in person only a few hours before. The CharlatansThis was the same summer when San Francisco cult band The Charlatans had a residency at the Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, and inaugurated psychedelic rock according to one widely held point of view. Sadly no footage or even photos appear to survive, but even the poster for the gigs is so famous that there is an eight-minute YouTube video devoted to it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS2gm0dIhq4 (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, tterrapix)
Paiges on Parade: 1926
... Helin. View full size. Counterbalanced Street Cars This stretch of Fillmore Street is so steep that, for many years, San Francisco's Market Street Railway employed counterbalance cars on its #22 line. These streetcars operated as normal electric cars for ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/20/2014 - 4:44pm -

"Paiges on Fillmore Hill at Broadway." San Francisco in 1926 is the setting for this latest entry in the Shorpy Pageant of Extinct Conveyances, a passel of parked Paiges. 8x10 film negative by Christopher Helin. View full size. Counterbalanced Street CarsThis stretch of Fillmore Street is so steep that, for many years, San Francisco's Market Street Railway employed counterbalance cars on its #22 line. These streetcars operated as normal electric cars for most of the line, but when they hit the Fillmore grade they hooked onto underground cables to help them up the hill. But these weren't cable cars. Instead of a powered cables, like on the City's cable car lines, the counterbalance system required another car at the opposite end of the line to be simultaneously hooked onto the cable. Simply put, as one car descended the hill it helped another car ascend. More info on the Fillmore Counterbalance here. Traction for Horsepower?The Paiges drivers semm to have inconsiderately parked their vehicles fouling the cable car line. But, I want to know what Shorpyists think is the purpose of the cleated roadway to the right of their vehicles. [It's a sidewalk, a sort of road for pedestrians. The ribs are so you don't slip. On the other side of the street we have stairs. And overhead, power for the streetcars. -Dave] Broadway at FillmoreExcept for the one peeking out from the left edge, all these buildings on Broadway are still there. The leftmost has had another floor added. The largest, 2275 Broadway, was built that year. View Larger Map Cable or Trolley?Here's a link to a description of the Fillmore St. counterbalance for electric trolley cars. The modern photo shows that the replacement trackless trolleys (trolley buses) detour around the hill. 88 years later: Then and NowI had to do some heavy perspective manipulation on this one, along with compositing another view to get the street somewhat in sync. The compositing is a bit crude, but I just wanted to give the impression of the street. I think it's reasonably effective, considering I can't get the same perspective from the other sidewalk that the original photographer got. (Google Streetview / September 2014.) Click here for large size Fillmore GripWasn't this the nickname for some sort of cable haulage for electric cars over a section of track that was too steep for normal traction? Re: TractionJust a minor nitpick, but thne streetcars in San Francisco use underground cables for the motive power, not overhead lines. The cars clasp the underground cables and are towed up the hills and kept from speeding too fast back down. The overhead lines are most likely power lines for homes and businesses. [Wrong. See the next comment up. - Dave] Time machine?Hey, why is there a closed circuit camera above the car second from the left! Time traveler shenanigans! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Chris Helin, San Francisco)
Scripps-Booth: 1921
... Post, May 29, 1921. Scripps-Booth Passenger Cars "The Utmost in Light Weight Construction." Touring Car: $1295 ... Scripps-Booth six-cylinder, valve-in-head passenger cars are noted for their beauty, distinctiveness, durability and economy of ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/08/2012 - 7:12pm -

Washington, D.C, 1921. "Scripps-Booth Sales Co., 14th Street N.W." And one very shiny sedan. National Photo Company Collection glass negative. View full size. Scripps-Booth HybridThe 1913 Scripps-Booth Bi-Autogo, a 3,200-pound motorcycle-roadster with a steering wheel and V-8 engine. It never took off. Piano FinishHow did they get that car to shine like that? I see London, I see FranceI see the Photographer's Pants, and some of the Tripod. If he had left the window up we could see the rest of him. That Mirror FinishThis Scripps-Booth was no doubt painted with DuPont's new lacquer, Viscolac, which was introduced in 1921. It was the predecessor of DuPont's famous Duco automotive lacquer. Both Viscolac and Duco could be rubbed out to a beautiful mirror-like finish. Is it a "1920 Velie Six"OK, I think the car with the suicide doors is a "1920 Velie Six." Am I close? I thought Essex for awhile. [It's a Scripps-Booth! - Dave] Paint jobHand rubbed lacquer. Boring!Now, if you could only find a picture of the Scripps-Booth Rocket... Scripps-Booth PricingScripps-Booth autos appear to have been built to appeal to a consumer mindful of fuel costs (lightweight frame, economical engine). Is the pictured vehicle an example of a luxury appointed 1920s American econobox? Washington Post, May 29, 1921. Scripps-Booth Passenger Cars "The Utmost in Light Weight Construction." Touring Car: $1295 Roadster: $1275 Coupe: $1950 Sedan: $2100 F.O.B. Factory Scripps-Booth six-cylinder, valve-in-head passenger cars are noted for their beauty, distinctiveness, durability and economy of operation. They are a General Motors Product Scripps-Booth Sales Co., Inc. 1012 14th Street N.W. Franklin 5831 Scripps-Booth Near Its EndScripps-Booth assembled its last cars in 1922 with leftover parts, around a year after this picture was taken. By that time it had become a fairly ordinary car. Some of the earlier models were rather unusual (first as lightweight cyclecars; later as full-sized cars with V-8 engines, etc.) and innovative for their time. By 1919, shortly after becoming part of General Motors, Scripps-Booth cars became fairly conventional and were based on GM's Oakland (the forerunner of Pontiac) chassis. The paint finish used on the pictured 1921 Scripps-Booth would most-likely have been a japan or varnish-based paint. The first production car using lacquer was, ironically, the Oakland, in 1924. It featured Dupont's Duco, a nitrocellulose lacquer that saved the carmakers weeks of paint-drying time and the space needed to store the drying bodies, which then had to be tediously hand-polished before final assembly. Incidentally, I have a picture of the 1914 Scripps-Booth Rocket, Tandem Roadster, but, unfortunately, since my scanner landed on the floor a few days ago, I can't submit the image. The brakes!The keen buyer will notice the generous-sized contracting band brakes - operating on the rear wheels only! Guaranteed to stop you in less than 250 feet from 30 mph! Car OpenersNote how those suicide doors are aptly equipped with hearse handles! 1012 14th Street NWView Larger Map Mary, fire up the DeLoreon!I want to go back in time with a couple of thousand dollars and buy one of these new. I could resell it and pay for both kids' college educations and pay off my house! These are relatively expensive cars for the time. A Model T was about $600.00 at the same time. Typo!That should be MARTY, fire up the Deloreon! [Ahem. "Deloreon"? - Dave] Old car pricesI own a 1919 Scripps-Booth, these don't go for Duesenberg prices. Rare doesn't equal expensive. Most cars of this era are actually relatively affordable, going for about the same price as a mid-range new car. Although SBs are rare (we have 50-100 still remaining), by 1918 or so they are almost identical to Oaklands and Buicks of the same year. I actually think all of that's a good thing, because I can use my car and enjoy it. While I can't go to NAPA to buy parts, there are enough owners of similar cars so I can get replacements for some things. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Early Freddy: 1902
... I'd take one look and say, Nope! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Kids, Sports) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/30/2023 - 10:30am -

Circa 1902. "Entrance, Sanitarium Park, Alma, Michigan." Baseball boys, a nursemaid, Mr. F. Krueger, an electric (?) runabout! 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Photographic Co. View full size. Freddy Krueger?!?"Mr. F Krueger" LOLOLOLOL!!!! Cut Freddy some slackI've handled a number of those infernal machines in my youth, and I never looked as happy as he does here. A new paradigm at Sanitarium ParkMr. F. Kreuger is thinking, "What if someone put mower blades under that runabout? I could mow this park in no time." This Reminds MeThis brings to mind a machine along the lines of a comment here by Doug Floor Plan, guessing Mr. Kreuger's thoughts. How about steam, not electric, for a mower? I present to you the Coldwell Steam Lawn Mower & Roller (with patent dates in 1901 and 1902): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql4a_KZ8n_8 By the way, I still mow with an old reel mower, but no great ideas from me just yet. Car ID suggestion1902 White Steamer Model B Nightmare in AlmaMaybe Mr. F. Kreuger is thinking, "What if I put these mower blades on a glove?" One LookIf I had to mow all that grass with a manual hand mower, I'd take one look and say, Nope! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, DPC, Kids, Sports)
College of Cars II
... View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix) ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 06/24/2009 - 5:09pm -

Not as many this time, but a couple of obsolete models, such as the first design of a Kaiser or Frazer, and an early Nash Rambler. Also a good representation of vintage Cal Poly color scheme. Same period, around 1956, this time on Anscochrome. View full size. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, tterrapix)
Appleton: 1962
... much more texture, and of course, so many more people and cars. Lots of photos on this site, when compared to modern day, feel the same. ... (Google) Burton Tusler (Google) The vintage of the cars Jimos Hat Cleaners (Google) "Andy Jimos, who had a hat cleaning ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 12/04/2017 - 5:11pm -

UPDATE: It took only a few minutes for you to pinpoint the location to Appleton, Wisconsin. Well done! This is one of the Janet & Kermy Kodachromes, labeled "Wisconsin plane trip 1962." The slide was processed in October 1962. A 35mm Kodachrome from the Shorpy archives that I scanned last night. Where are we, and when? See the comments for your answers. View full size. Why are downtowns desolate nowadays?Comparing the photo from 1962 to Google Street View, it is jarring how desolate the downtown feels. The older photo seemed to pack in SO MANY more stores, so much more texture, and of course, so many more people and cars. Lots of photos on this site, when compared to modern day, feel the same. I suppose I know some of the answers, but it still jumps out at me. [Shopping centers, for one. - tterrace] Iroquois beerSo we're probably somewhere in New York. Buffalo? [I could really go for a six-pack of Pontiacs right about now. - Dave] Amarica's Dairyland@bobstothfang- You would be correct. The phrase America's Dairyland has been on all Wisconsin standard automobile plates since 1940. TuslerI think there was a Tusler Pontiac in Appleton, WI. 1960Newest car in the photo is the 1960 Chevy parked on right foreground. Just a guessI'd say early 1960s Atlanta. AppletonThat is Appleton, Wisconsin. That's cool!No comment in particular other than I love these photos that capture a place in time. Love it. Appleton, WisconsinAt back, the H.C. Prange Department Store was at 126 West College Avenue Appleton, Wisconsin. It opened in 1946. View Larger Map Is this the place?Might this be Appleton, Wisconsin? Downtown AppletonDowntown Appleton, WI; looking west along College Avenue between Morrison and Oneida. View Larger Map Lightning-quickI am impressed! Appleton, Wisconsin, is correct. This is one of the Janet & Kermy Kodachromes, labeled "Wisconsin plane trip 1962." The slide was processed in October 1962. Appleton200 block of East College, Appleton, Wisconsin I'll take an educated guessI am betting that we are looking south on the main street in Appleton, WI in the very early '60s. Based on the following clues -- Tusler Pontiac sign Tusler Motor Company (Google) Burton Tusler (Google) The vintage of the cars Jimos Hat Cleaners (Google) "Andy Jimos, who had a hat cleaning business on the main street for 65 years…from 1927 to 1982"... The license plates are tough to see, but they might say "America's Dairyland" on the bottom. [Other clews below. - Dave] 217 east college Appleton WIGreenen dry goods is pretty conclusive. There are a lot of changes but the red brick building with beige points is still there. But here's the most perplexing question of allWhy does Jimos Hat Cleaners have a Coca-Cola logo on its sign? Far CarsFrom the left: 1961 Chevy, 1955 Chevy Nomad, yellow 1959 Ford, 1962 Ford, another 1959 Ford, blue 1962 Ford, 1960 Mercury. AALThe large building on the far right with the "A.A.L" on it is the headquarters of the Aid Association for Lutherans (now Thrivent). I've had a life insurance policy with them since my parents bought it when I was two months old (March 1962). Dave:aren't clews the lower part of a sail? [Maybe you need to get out more! - Dave] Iroquois BeerI spent an hour or more looking for Iroquois Beer but only found Schlitz on top of Dick's Tavern. Where the heck is it? Iroquois beer was brewed in Buffalo & Dunkirk NY and also in Ohio at various times but not in Wisconsin, "diloretta" anything further to add? Thanks for the reason to hunt this pic. [I think Diloretta was confusing Chief Pontiac with the Iroquois mascot. - Dave] Desolate DowntownsThis looks to be one of those towns that tried to buck the trend by putting the shopping center/mall downtown. These almost always failed. Nowadays malls are becoming ghost towns, and the new trend is toward "town centers" combining stores, housing and office buildings in order to try to recreate the downtown experience. The circle of life. Things that pass; things that remainThe things that have passed: Pontiac, Mercury, Oldsmobile, F.W.Woolworth. The things that have remained (so far): Chevrolet, Ford, Singer, Coca-Cola, Dutch Boy, Smirnoff, Sears (although who would have guessed Sears would be owned by K-Mart?). Others that have passedTo add to mpcdsp's list, H.C. Prange (department stores) and AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans), the two tall buildings on the right. Both Appleton mainstays were bought out or merged and renamed. Clue about clewIn Greek Mythology "clew" refers to the ball of thread used by Theseus to find his way out of the labyrinth to escape the Minotaur - becomes clue in American usage. 1957 Olds From IllinoisCheck out the robin's egg blue 1957 Oldsmobile sitting under the MARX clock. He's a visitor from Illinois. I distinctly remember the dark orange plates with white numerals, even though I was 12 years old at the time. Ahhhh, good times. No cell phones, no computers, kids got exercise outdoors playing and we were the most prosperous nation in the world. The only thing we had to worry about was the Russians! Grandpa following DadA nostalgia trip for me,as my grandfather had a purple '59 Olds and my Dad a red '59 Chevy Bel Air at the time this photo was taken. My brother and I would stand on the floor behind the old man and watch him drive (no car seats, or even seatbelts, then). The cars are all as familiar to me as today's cars, except for that Nomad (good eye, Dave). I don't remember ever seeing one till later when they were big with street rodders and surfers. Blue carThe blue car under the MARX clock is a '55-'56 Buick, not a '57 Oldsmobile. I owned a '57 Olds back in 1962. They have a 3 piece rear window and oval tailights. My hometownI lived in Appleton from 1969 to 1995. You can see the AAL building and Zuelke building. Gibson Motors used to be here on College Avenue also. My father bought his brand new 1974 Chevy Malibu here. Up the street a little farther was the movie theater where I first saw Star Wars in 1977. I was 9 years old. When I got my drivers license, in the mid-'80s, I used to "cruise the ave" as they used to say, looking for girls. What memories. Thank you for the post. (ShorpyBlog, The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Kermy Kodachromes)
Lush Life: 1937
... babies or the wives of the Park Avenue rich. Cars & Trucks?! Perhaps you would also consider categorizing Ms. Grier ... cylinder Chevrolet from 1942 until 1945. Wish we had both cars now! Her mission According to the September 18, 1937, Charleston ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/27/2012 - 12:23pm -

Washington, D.C., circa 1937. "Jane Grier." Pictured with a Packard near the old State, War and Navy building. Harris & Ewing Collection. View full size. West Wing WomanIt appears that this shot was taken in front of the West Wing of the White House looking west toward what is now the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. On the left side of the frame, the corner of the West Wing can be seen. The gate behind the car opens to steps which go down to West Executive Avenue. ElegantBoy, everything about this photo says "elegant." Miss Grier, her clothes, the Packard with the distinctive hood ornament, and the structures in the background. Elegant. Not just a PackardIt's not just any old Packard, it's a Packard V-12--very costly when new, sold in limited numbers and THE prestige American car of its time. Joan BlondellShe has the look of those Joan Blondell characters who were Broadway babies or the wives of the Park Avenue rich. Cars & Trucks?!Perhaps you would also consider categorizing Ms. Grier under "Pretty Girls"? The V-12 PackardThough big, elegant and luxurious it wouldn't have been too much of a bargain during the upcoming gas WW2 rationing. My grandfather had a similar one and it sat in the garage most the time for several years while he drove my grandmother's 6 cylinder Chevrolet from 1942 until 1945. Wish we had both cars now! Her missionAccording to the September 18, 1937, Charleston (W. Va.) Daily Mail, a Jane Greer (not Grier) visited the White House to perform a vital mission: to deliver an invitation to President Roosevelt to attend the Mountain State Forest Festival at Elkins, West Virginia, on October 7 and 8. She had been chosen as the festival's queen. Miss Greer, daughter of Morgantown Dominion Post publisher Herbert C. Greer and Agnes Jane Reeves Greer, graduated from the University of West Virginia in 1940, and was married to its former men's basketball coach (Richard Aubrey "Dyke" Raese) from 1943 to 1955. Control of her father's media business passed to her family, and the Greer business empire soon included minerals, steel, and radio stations. Prominent Republicans, the Greers include her son, John Raese, a three-time loser in statewide elections. She is obviously not the Jane Greer who co-starred in the film noir masterpiece "Out of the Past" (1947). Super Circus This girl could be Mary Hartline's twin sister! Albeit 20 years too soon. She's sure look great in a majorette costume! Where's Claude Kirchner when you need him? Talon ShowShe is very pretty, but it's so odd how her nails have been sharpened to a point. I guess they would make an excellent jerk deterrent. Almost Heaven West Virginia!Now I know why I admire Miss Grier so much. She hailed from the Mountain State! I used to live in Elkins and attended many a Forest Festival albeit about 30 years after Miss Grier's coronation as Festival Queen. Morgantown GreersHaving grown up in Morgantown, I am very familiar with the Greer name, both for the newspaper as well as for Greer Limestone, the largest limestone mine in the state. Jane married Richard Aubrey "Dyke" Raese, the head basketball coach at West Virginia University (not University of West Virginia, please). Their son John ("Jack) Raese, now owns the newspaper and other mining, steel, tourism and broadcasting commpanies (Greer Industries). Jack Rease ran, unsuccesfully, on the Republican ticket for both the governorship as well as the U.S. Senate seats held by Robert Byrd and Jay Rockefeller. Ah, the nails...Here's something I know about, as I've been a manicurist for nearly 30 years. These sharply filed nails were the height of fashion in the late '20s and '30s. The hairline on the tip was done to prevent polish chipping, and many women also left their "crescents," or half-moons, free of polish as well. The popular color was red. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Harris + Ewing, Pretty Girls)
The Auto Show: 1917
... March 3-10, 1917." A display of Chalmers and National cars. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Big cars in D.C. In these pictures of Washington, one thing that stands out to ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 12:05pm -

"Washington, D.C., auto show. March 3-10, 1917." A display of Chalmers and National cars. National Photo Co. Collection glass negative. View full size. Big cars in D.C.In these pictures of Washington, one thing that stands out to my eyes is the preponderance of BIG and expensive cars. Caddies, Packards, Pierces. Very few Fords in sight. In contemporary pics from other cities, even prosperous oil towns in Oklahoma, the only cars visible are Ford T's with perhaps an occasional Dodge. Auto Shows Auto shows prior to WWII were a different venue than we've gotten used to in these past 60 years. Because there were very few purpose-built exhibit halls anywhere in the country, auto shows were usually held in industrial loft buildings similar to the one shown in the photo. Consequently, exhibit promoters had to do their best to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse with the sort of decorations shown. On very rare occasions, well-connected promoters could wangle permission to use a high ceilinged downtown armory. [The Washington Automobile Show was held on the third and fourth floors of the Union Building downtown. There was an orchestra and dancing. - Dave] Union GarageThe first person who lived in my house bought a Chalmers in 1917 from the Union Garage, which started as a place where the smaller automakers could get together to sell their cars and not have to spend big bucks on building their own showrooms. I believe that Ford used space there. The Union Garage as such didn't last long, though the building was still standing in the 60's. Today, the lot is covered by the Verizon Center. The Army Air Corps used part of the building during WWI, but moved out quickly as the air was too foul from all the exhaust. [Below, the Union Garage in 1915. In July 1917 the building was taken over by Semmes Motor Co., which sold Dodge and Hudson cars as well as Wilcox and Vim trucks. - Dave] Granny's ChalmersI once asked my paternal grandmother what the first car she remembered riding in was and she told me it was her father's 1917 Chalmers! My great-grandfather was a well-to-do man in a small town in North Carolina. (He distilled and bottled legal liquor). My grandmother told me that a salesman brought the car out to their house and sold it to him and someone came out to pick up the salesman. She said that eventually her older brother, Sanford, "destroyed the thing and drove it right off its frame!" Spoken ForInteresting that both these cars have a sign on the windshield stating that they've already been sold. Wonder if this is the same Chalmers that manufactured tractors under the 'Allison Chalmers' name? [You're thinking of Allis-Chalmers. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Woodward Avenue: 1917
... gears to shift, and no clutch -- shifting and clutching on cars of that era required quite a bit of muscle. - Dave] Cloudy crystal ... streets. It seems that those signs were for trolleys and cars only. It anwered my question why my g-g-great uncle got killed by a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/24/2012 - 9:50pm -

Detroit, Michigan, circa 1917. "Looking up Woodward Avenue." Dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. "Mellow as Moonlight"If I was a drinkin' man, I would be sippin' some a that Cascade whiskey. Motor city, for sure!Not one single horse in view. Temporal AcheMan, this is one of those Shorpy photos that really make me wish I had a time machine. Not much leftAbout the only thing still remaining is the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and even it has been moved about 300 feet from where it stood for 130 years. An amazing photo. Casting against TypeI see the film "Somewhere in Georgia" is playing, where Ty Cobb stars surprisingly as a small-town Georgia baseball player who signs with the Detroit Tigers. Health InsuranceAlmost 100 years later, the country is in a major pique over health Insurance and the Detroit Creamery had the answer all along. This maybe the best urban photograph yet, it certainly is the busiest. Notice the #2 streetcar?It's got one of those fancy-schmancy 'people scoopers' on it, like this: https://www.shorpy.com/node/4468 HodgepodgeOne of the best urban pictures yet! Too much to take in at one sitting; The Opera House, that wonderful memorial, the traffic, those streetcars. I wonder what the tent was for in front of that fountain, just across from the Opera House. FascinatingThere's so much to look at in this photo. I especially enjoy seeing people going about their daily lives, not posing for a camera. The movie theater sign says "All Next Week, Somewhere in Georgia". According to IMDB.com "Somewhere in Georgia", starring Ty Cobb, was filmed in the winter of 1916 and released in June 1917. Is the 1915 date on the photo in error? [Do we know what "circa" means? - Dave] An Edison ElectricI notice that the Edison Electric is being driven by a woman. My grandmother (who lived in Detroit) said that the only car she ever drove was an Edison Electric. She was afraid of driving a gasoline-powered car. [Women liked electrics because there were no gears to shift, and no clutch -- shifting and clutching on cars of that era required quite a bit of muscle. - Dave] Cloudy crystal ballCover story in Time Magazine, October 5, 2009: "The Tragedy of Detroit: How a great city fell, and it it can rise again." Speaking of moonlightFarewell, good moonlight towers. Twenty years gone by the time of this photo. Is it a coincidence that Shorpy has hit upon another star of the silent screen? The theater beneath the Blackstone Cigar sign (far right)features Gladys Brockwell, who, like Kay Laurell (1890-1927), died in her thirties. Horrific 1929 car crash in California. Merrill FountainThe Merrill Fountain in front of the Opera House still exists, too. Granted, it was moved about seven miles up the road to Palmer Park. Before it was called Wootwart (Woodward)The definition of the "good old days" ... Traffic LightsGreat image. Did traffic lights look different then, or did they not have them in Detroit? [In 1917, traffic signals came on two legs. - Dave] Re: An Edison ElectricLooks more like a Detroit Electric car than the very rare Edison. The main reason the ladies like the electric car was no crank starting. Charles Kettering changed that a few years later with the electric starter motor if IC engines. Notice the complete absenceof horse poop. And horses. Stop sign doesn't apply...Surprised to see that pedestrains do not follow traffic signs as they crossed the streets. It seems that those signs were for trolleys and cars only. It anwered my question why my g-g-great uncle got killed by a trolley. ProsperityWow! You can almost hear the hustle and bustle of prosperity in this amazing photograph -- the essence of early 20th century proud American urbanity. Go to Google Earth or some other mapping web site and visit the corner of Woodward and Fort today -- a dreary, faceless, lifeless desert of glassy highrises without a pedestrian in sight. HeartbreakingWhen I go through Detroit now it is a vast third world, broken down, trashed city, with gangs and thugs peering from behind collapsed buildings. How in the name of all that is worthy could this magnificent American city come to what it is today? Almost makes me want to watch Glenn Beck. Oh what a feelingI had to smirk a bit when I opened of the intersection on Google streets and the first thing I saw was a shiny Toyota. FABULOUSThis image is go busy and wonderful. There is so much to notice. I wonder what the conversations were and so much more. There is a tent in the middle of the square to the left of the statue. Why? What is the statue of? All in WhiteI love the woman all in white crossing the street with her plaid skirted friend (near the front of the photo, just before the frontmost car). She looks so different than everyone else. I bet the two women just walking into the frame below them are talking about her. She's showing ankle AND calf! I'm sure she'll be a flapper in a few years! The girl in whiteI think that the girl in white is in fact a girl - probably a young teen accompanying her mother (the lady in the plaid skirt). Therefore she would be perfectly well dressed for her age. However that also means that she would be in the right demographic to become a flapper once the twenties (which would coincide with her twenties) rolled around. Great picture - Lord I could look at it for hours! That banner over the street"ENLIST NOW! YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU" And to your left...Seems even Detroit had its requisite "Seeing..." touring bus company. I count three "charabancs" in this photo, one across the street from Bond's with "WELLS" emblazoned on the back, and two in the centre-left crammed with mostly female tourists. Wonder what they were off to see next? I'm loving the little insignificant human moments the photographer caught and immortalized: the man at the lower left trying to make something out on a bulletin board; the hefty many putting his arm around his companion's waist next to the memorial; three ladies converging outside the theater. Fantastic. The building on the far leftis the 1896 Majestic Building, designed by the famous Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. Among other things, Burnham also designed the Flatiron Building in NYC, and oversaw the construction of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The Majestic was Detroit's tallest building until 1909, when the Ford Building (also a Burnham creation) was completed. The Ford still stands today, as well as Burnham's other Detroit creations, the David Whitney Building and the Dime Building. Sadly the Majestic was torn down in 1962 to make way for the exponentially less-interesting 1001 Woodward Building. “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence. Remember that our sons and our grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty.” -Daniel H. Burnham Sight Seeing in Detroit ca. 1917The Dietsche Sight Seeing Company was one of several companies that offered tours of Detroit back in this time period. Below is a photo of their advertisement offering their services to local companies who might want to entertain their out-of-town customers with a "Sight Seeing Trip around the city, Belle Isle, or Water Works Park." Given the description of the street banner, this photo was probably taken sometime around June 5, 1917, which was the date on which all men between the ages of 21 and 31 were required to register for the draft. Soldiers and Sailors MonumentStill nearby, but not as nicely maintained. Very Nicely MaintainedThe Soldiers & Sailors monument is actually very well maintained. Notice how it's not all blackened with soot as in the old photo. When you view it up close you can also see where some very nice restoration has recently been done. Not everything in Detroit is a rotting hulk. Still busyNot like this, but the ice skating rink at Campus Martius is already set up and would be approximately directly in front of the Detroit Opera House. Downtown Detroit is not the home of thugs or crime at all, really, but is sadly quiet when the businesses are closed. Many of the buildings are still here, and magnificent. Come visit before they tear them all down. I'll be ordering a large print of this image! Thank you Shorpy. Re. "Mellow as Moonlight"I saw this photo a few days ago, and, like GeezerNYC, I was quite struck by the Cascade Whiskey billboard. Now, I know that Geo. Dickel is still in business, and I was familiar with Dickel's Tennessee Sipppin' Whiskey and Old No. 8, but I had never heard of Cascade. It must have gone the way of the buggy whip and Lydia Pinkham, I thought. But then today I stopped at the liquor store after work to pick up a bottle of wine, and GUESS WHAT THEY HAD?!?! shhhh...too loud. So, then and I bought some. And do you guys know what? It's pretty goood. I';m drikning it right now. And I just wanna True story I swear. Hey! do you know what? I bought some oft hat Cacsade whiskey? Or is it whishky? Aanyway, I just wanna You know what/ You guys are greatf. I just wanna Hudson's Grows, and...Hudson's grew with Detroit, and perhaps inevitably, declined with Detroit. Cascade HollowThe current Cascade Hollow Whiskey was created to deal with a shortage of the Dickel No. 8 and then just hung around. They didn't have enough whiskey of a certain age so they made a new brand and put their younger stuff in it so that the quality of the No. 8 wouldn't suffer. The Cascade Hollow has been discontinued, but it's still on the shelves in many places. The name Cascade was replaced by the Dickel name after Prohibition and a number. In order of price (& quality) the current Dickel offerings are: (Cascade Hollow) Dickel No. 8 Dickel No. 12 Dickel Barrel Select (which is one of the best whiskeys I've ever had. And I've had a lot.) Anyway, Dickel is currently owned by the evil international spirits conglomorate Diageo, which also owns Guinness, Hennessey, Smirnoff, Johnny Walker, Tanqueray, Bushmills, Cpt. Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Crown Royal and many many more. I can't relate to this picture at allThere is no one in this picture that looks like me or anyone else in my family and for that matter most of my friends...maybe that's how most of the people making comments about it want Detroit to look like. Movie ID helpIn the background, there appears to be a movie showing called "The Spoilers", but Wikipedia says it came out in 1914, not 1917. Just below that it looks like "Barrymore (?) as Georgia" and to the left of that is "Ty". Anyone have some ideas as to which movies are being advertised? [The movie is "Somewhere in Georgia," with Ty Cobb, released in 1917. - Dave] Re: Re: An Edison ElectricMy great-great-grandfather Frank Montgomery Foster was selling Kissel Kars in Detroit. In 1913, he also had "one of the Detroit's finest garages at the corner of Gratiot Avenue and Grand Boulevard." It looks like the two cars in the bottom left of the photo (with the barrel fronts) may be Kissels, but I don't know enough about autos of the era to ID them. KernsMy co-worker's last name is Kerns. I showed him this picture one day and eventually forwarded it to him. He then forwarded picture to his family and learned that his mother Americanized their Polish name around 1917 after seeing that building "Kern's Children's Clothes." One of the best!The photo is insanely busy and the comments led me on a couple scavenger hunts online. Introduced to Gladys Brockwell, Daniel Burnham, Cascade, Dietsche company, etc. A very entertaining hour and a half on this one pic! Of course, being from Detroit makes it that much more interesting. Also, Heartbreaking, Detroit is a pheonix. You watch what she can do! The people have so much spirit. We love our city like a member of our family. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Detroit Photos, DPC, Streetcars)
The Perisphere: 1939
... View full size. I bet it included flying cars Here is a little information on what the Trylon and Perisphere ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/16/2022 - 4:15pm -

"Perisphere and ramp at 1939 New York Word's Fair." Corpulent counterpoint to the trimmer Trylon. Uncredited acetate transparency, possibly by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. I bet it included flying carsHere is a little information on what the Trylon and Perisphere consisted of. Inside, visitors traveled on a moving platform while watching a six-minute show focusing on a futuristic, utopian City of Tomorrow. Obviously, in 1939 the show's creators did not anticipate urban flight to the suburbs that actually happened and the adverse ripple effects which left no utopian cities I can think of. I can't figure out what is casting a big, round shadow on the big, round Perisphere. [The tall, straight Trylon. - Dave] Thanks, Dave. I'll confess I'm still trying to visualize how that worked. Not So SmoothCentral pieces of the 1939 New York World's Fair known as the 'Theme Center', the Perisphere and accompanying Giant Trylon Tower were to be covered in smooth concrete, however due to the high cost, gypsum was used instead. Gypsum caused an uneven texture and visible seams on the structures, although that didn't stop them from projecting moving images onto the Perisphere from nearby buildings at night. For the cost of a quarter, which first included a walk through the Giant Trylon Tower, visitors could ride on one of the Perisphere's two rotating balconies, which encircled a miniaturized ideal city of the future called Democracity. Slick recorded narration and glow-in-the-dark lighting completed the effect. Visitors left the Perisphere via a 950-foot curved ramp called the Helicline, the first thirty or so feet of which are pictured above. The Helicline had a mirrored underside, creating the illusion of invisibility from below. At the base of the globe, eight supporting pillars were also hidden by mirrors and fountains which gave the Perisphere an appearance of floating in midair. Both the Perisphere and Trylon Tower were demolished in 1940. The Unisphere, central piece of the 1964 New York World's Fair, was erected on the exact same spot as the Perisphere, and is still standing to this very day. Hmm ...That's no moon. ShadowDoug, I think that big round shadow is nothing more than the dark side of the big round Perisphere. [Incorrect. Below left, the "dark side" and, on the right, the "dark side" overlaid with the shadow of the Trylon. - Dave] The fair in color "Get out of my head!"Am I the only one seeing a giant, screaming face in the cutaway sphere?!? Utopian Promises1939-40 World's Fair Democracity Re-Creation (The New York Pubic Library) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kulk7IPTL10 CutawayHere's a look at the interior. Click to go to a page with more info and a bigger photo. Coarse surfaceI'd only seen distant (and perhaps slightly edited) images of the Perisphere before this and it was an eye-opener. I went looking for the construction details and discovered this: The original plans for the Perisphere called for it to be covered in a smooth and seamless layer of concrete. However, due to the high cost of that material, gypsum was used instead. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts to smooth it out, the gypsum created an uneven texture and had visible seams. Also, surrounding fountains damaged the fragile coating and their arches of water had to be lowered. Legend has itThat the Trylon and Perisphere still exist in Queens! https://untappedcities.com/2020/01/06/a-house-in-queens-has-a-mini-world... Dave deliversAn admirably concise and alliterative caption. (The Gallery, Art & Design, Gottscho-Schleisner, NYC)
The Tombs: 1905
... could edit your comments at any time! - Dave] Cable Cars I didn't know New York had them. Wonder if they had recently replaced street cars, former tracks for which are in the street where bricklayers are working. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/18/2012 - 3:34pm -

Circa 1905. "Tombs Prison, New York." The view down Centre Street at Leonard Street. What I wouldn't give for five minutes inside Cosmopolitan Incandescent Supply Co. ("Headquarters for Gas Lamps"), or A. Epstein Novelties & Games! 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Covered domesMust be several hundred men visible in this photo and not one without a hat of some kind. LoiteringAre there a few folks waiting for relatives to be released at the front gate? Sorry - CorrectionThat was the "regular 15 cent dinner" (not 50 Cent, who became a rapper). Thank you. I guess 15 cents was the poor man's rapper. [Shorpy Tip-O-the-Day: If you were signed in as a registered user, you could edit your comments at any time! - Dave] Cable CarsI didn't know New York had them. Wonder if they had recently replaced street cars, former tracks for which are in the street where bricklayers are working. [These are not cable cars. Electrically powered streetcars, underground power supply. - Dave] IncandescentTen years or so ago, my father offered to help an upstate NY neighbour, a sort of quasi-Mennonite farmer, find a replacement part for his old gas stove. An old, old gas stove. My dad, visiting a college friend who still lives in Greenwich Village, looked up a hardware place in the yellow pages that sounded like it might help. They took the train out to Queens or Brooklyn or whatever. It turned out to be a cavernous, gloomy, warehouse of a place, run by a gnomish old guy. My father showed him the broken cast iron part. The guy looked at it, shouted "Hey, Merl, bring up a Flamemaster Eight Doohicky Support Flange!" And another gnomish old guy brought out the exact part. I figure that place started out like the Cosmopolitan Incandescent Supply Co. What a revelationI've heard of 'The Tombs' prison mentioned numerous times in various forms of media and always had a mental image of it being situated on an isolated piece of land far away from populated areas. It is interesting to see that it is located within the city. Yes, we have no bananasexcept for these on the cart in the lower right. I also plan to buy that "Regular 15 cent Dinner." Looks like today is bargain day on the Lower East Side. Dave's Time Machine Trip Dave, don't go to the stores, pick up a copy of the New York Daily News from that wagon out front of the incandescent supply store and put all that money you were going to spend into the stock market! (just make sure to set the time machine before 1929 when you go to collect). Old ShopsMy friend's father owned a hardware store on the Lower East Side. The business was founded by his grandfather in the 1920s. Talk about 5 minutes in a store, I wish I could go there again. I remember him telling me about a customer coming in, in the 1980s, and buying 10 boxes of nails and screws. Then he asked my friend's father if he wanted the contents of the boxes back. It seems he didn't want the nails and screws, but only the containers. They were of value to him because of the NRA emblems printed on them. Tomb it may concern:Like Madison Square Garden, the name "The Tombs" has applied to a succession of buildings. Shown here is the second building (1902) to carry the name; the original (1838) was styled after an Egyptian mausoleum hence the name, which seems to be just too good to retire with the building. Another 5-minute IdeaWhat I wouldn't give for 5 minutes of sitting on that street corner (head covered, of course) and watching that scene unfold. Preferably with a digital video camera. (The Gallery, DPC, NYC, Streetcars)
Ejected: 1912
... are the happiest crash victims I've ever seen! Same cars These are the same cars as the first photo. [Same guys, too. Same day. Same game. - Dave] ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/12/2011 - 2:39pm -

New York. More smooth "auto polo" moves from December 1912. At right, an incipient case of malletosis. George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size. Suture selfThese are the happiest crash victims I've ever seen! Same carsThese are the same cars as the first photo. [Same guys, too. Same day. Same game. - Dave] How to play Auto PoloExcerpts from Mechanics and Handicraft, Autumn 1934. Super Thrills With Auto Polo By Ed. Harlan Gibson Auto polo originated some twenty odd years ago. It was received on every occasion with growing enthusiasm. America demands thrilling entertainment and auto polo went far in filling this need. Numerous outfits were built and contests were arranged all over the country. State and County fairs paid big prices for the thrill of auto polo as a feature for fair patrons. At times, all the large cities were thrilled by the daring of drivers and mallet-men. Organized teams, shipped to foreign countries, introduced this new American sport. Due largely to the past depression, auto polo gradually dwindled down until only a few outfits were still operating, but recently, the interest of the public in this sport has been revived. Having spent almost eight years in this and another similar game, I know from experience that the American public will pay good money to see auto polo. They like it.... Organizing Teams ....Each team should have a manager and a Captain. The manager is boss of the equipment, matches games, looks after gate receipts, advertising, etc. The Captain coaches the players during the game; and, immediately after each game points out certain plays where improvement can be made. Drivers and mallet-men should be picked with caution; in their hands rest the success of your adventure. Just because some fellow can skid a car round a city block on two wheels is no sign that he will make a good dependable driver in auto polo. My experience has convinced me this type is not trustworthy. Instead, choose the calm lad who drives carefully and doesn't say much. Mallet-men must be picked with equal care....He must possess a reasonable amount of agileness and be able to jump out of the way at a moment's notice. Practice Games, the Field and Flags Each team should have goal flags the color of their cars. These cloth flags are fastened to iron rods about four feet long with friction tape. Place them approximately four paces apart and at an angle outward from the center of the field. A car skidding into them when cutting off a goal, will knock them down away from the mallet-man. Study the drawing of field layout for car positions before the game. I would suggest you use only two cars in the first attempt, while the others watch from the side lines and mentally place their own positions. Lay off the field with lime (though it soon disappears from skidding wheels and dust). The referee, to start the game, is at the center of the field where the ball is placed, and also returned after a goal is made. The referee has a whistle. To start, the referee holds up his hands pointing to each end of the field. The drivers and mallet-men on each team will be in position as shown and if ready, they too will hold up their hands, as a signal to the referee. The referee blows the whistle and at the same time swings his arms down, across in front of him, then steps back to the boundary line out of the way. As the game goes on, he follows along somewhere near the ball. The captains of each team will speed toward the ball in the center of the field at the signal. They will meet and pass on the left of each other, so the malletmen, reaching out, can strike at the ball. Care should be taken not to gauge this too close, but leave plenty of room for the man to swing at the ball, which, if hit, will go sailing. Now the guard car comes into play. As the ball comes toward them they will work out to meet it, sending it back toward the opposite goal and vice versa. Meanwhile, the two captains are turning, skidding around into position and they act as guard until opportunity affords them an opening at the ball. After the game is in progress, no magazine article can coach you what to do next. It is a battle, with roaring motors working up a thrilling tension among players and spectators. Positions vary at astonishing speed, and the drivers must use their own judgment. Goals are counted only when the ball goes between the goal flags. Each goal counts two points for the team forcing it through. There is no hard and fast rules to follow in this game. Should you find just a little different way of playing, do so. When the ball is knocked out of bounds, it must be tossed in again by the referee, who blows the whistle to stop the game, and again he tosses in the ball. Should the ball fail to go between the goal flags it is counted a foul and the cars line up at the goal and the ball [is] tossed in as before. However, as they start out, the guard car must speed up and take his position guarding the goal. Teach all drivers to drive with "thumbs out"; do not hook your thumbs inside the steering-wheel cross-arms as you do in common driving. This is the reason: a car striking the point of your front wheels will send the steering wheel spinning in your hands and should you have your thumbs hooked in the cross-arms, painful sprains may results [sic]. Also caution all drivers to beware of broadside slams from the side where the mallet-man stands. He has no protection for his legs. Publicity--Gate Receipts Publicity is your greatest advertisement. Do not for a moment overlook this angle to the success of your venture. Auto polo at one time was widely advertised, it is becoming popular again. In small towns, your local newspaper is your best opportunity, and, if you give the Editor your printing business, he will be glad to give you advance publicity. While building your cars, a short write-up will start the interest; and as you begin your practice games, more write-ups will draw people out to watch you. Follow it up, before and after each game, with short items giving the results of the games, its thrills and spectacular plays--in fact, use "ballyhoo" as they do for every sport. Bright, flashy banner signs along public highways and over the entrance to your field will catch the Sunday joy riders that have nothing else to do. Encourage other towns around you to build polo cars, and before long Auto Polo will be as widely know and advertised as any other sport. The usual procedure is to split the gate receipts 60-40 after all advertising expenses are taken out of the whole. The winners, of course, receive the largest share. You make a "spill" Perhaps you have been wondering how you could "spill" one of these cars intentionally. Every game must contain at least two or three of these thrilling spills to hold the breathless attention of your spectators. I might state, that many spills are made accidentally; by broadside slams, or skidding too sharply on a grass field. However, there will be games when you will want to make one on purpose. In this case, two cars are headed down the field side by side. At first it is best to make the spills at a moderate speed, of just fast enough to turn the car over on the side. The driver of the car on the left will hold his car in a perfectly straight course down the field. The car on the right is the one that will spill. Mallet-men are in their positions as before, and if possible do not make it seem as if anything is to happen. The car on the right pulls over toward the other car and when the speed is regulated, he pulls over still farther until his left rear wheel is just behind the right front of the other car. Then by speeding up slightly and cramping the steering wheel sharply to the left, or directly in front of the other car, his left rear wheel will climb up over the front axle of the other car; this gives his car a throw and over he goes. As the driver feels the car going over he must swing his feet off the pedals onto the running board or walk and slide out sideways from under the steering wheel. The mallet-man leaves the car just a moment sooner....[in a] method of "bailing out" .... Be sure to jump clear so the car will miss you if it turns completely over. After you have done this a few times, it will come quite naturally, so you need but glance at your opponents to let him know your intentions. The other driver must also co-operate when making a spill and instantly slam reverse when he sees your car cut in front of him. Let me suggest you practice this before attempting it during a game. Don't be discouraged if you should fail on your first attempts. The only danger lies in clearing the car as it turns over. The game does not stop when one or even two cars turn over. The car that turns over will immediately enter the fracas as soon as it is on its wheels again. Play the games in periods of from 7 to 10 minutes each. Motors soon become red hot and mallet-men will welcome a breathing spell after this length of time. Locate your field along a well traveled highway where an admission charge can be made. Within a reasonable length of time, this should bring the gate receipts up to where that extra money will be welcome and make you wonder why you never thought of using the old rusty model T's before.... ....Before I close, I might add that a painted warning sign will help you to keep your crowds in check. Simply word it thus: "The players will take every precaution to prevent accidents but will not be responsible should any occur." People, as a rule, are like sheep to handle, and this little sign, or two of them, will do wonders to help keep them off the field. And now friends, you have it all.... ....Good Luck. Gooooooal!!!I love these gasoline gladiator photos! No question what type of car to use.Note that in the detailed 1934 instructions, there is no mention of what type of car to use. It was obvious: Only a Ford, that lightweight, ubiquitous, nearly disposable vehicle that could be had for a few dollars in every city in the US. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC, Sports)
Midwest Cafe: 1941
... gone. Out of state Interesting that none of the cars shown are from Colorado. The left car has California plates, the center is ... a restaurant door: "Come in, it's KOOL inside." The cars are the Stars! The partial car on the left is a 1940 Buick Special ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/09/2022 - 11:04am -

September 1941. "Main street of Craig, Colorado. A new and thriving boom town in the Yampa River Valley." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Straight 8, V-12, Straight 6The Zephyr, with its aerodynamic lines and V-12, was a marketing coup for Ford Motor Company in the depths of the Great Depression. It came back for 1946, then was gone. Out of stateInteresting that none of the cars shown are from Colorado. The left car has California plates, the center is from Montana, and the right from Wyoming. Craig seems like an unlikely tourist destination, but perhaps the food at the Midwest Cafe was worth the detour. Air ConditioningI enjoyed seeing the "air conditioned" sign. It reminds me of the old Kool cigarette ad on many a restaurant door: "Come in, it's KOOL inside." The cars are the Stars!The partial car on the left is a 1940 Buick Special coupe. The middle car is a 1940 Lincoln Zephyr, and the car on the right is a 1937 Chevrolet Master Business Coupe, which came with only ONE (the left one) taillight! This Boomer Boomed From CraigJust a bit after this photo was made, I was conceived in this place. My mother said there were reasons I was NOT born there. Mostly, she said it had to do with exiting the family house from the second floor in winter. Also, leaving the family car running all night in winter. Then, there was the unpleasant task of hanging laundry that froze nearly instantly, including my sister's diapers. Mom said people were neighborly. If you were starving in winter, they'd bring you a deer carcass to gnaw on and trade eggs for a cup of coffee. Also, Mom did say there were decent cafes & bars, but that they absorbed too much of my old man's time. So one blistering cold winter morning Mom packed her bags, determined to get the Hell out of there. My old man said, "If you'll wait a day, I'll go with you." Over the months ahead, there were reasons I was not born in Alaska, Washington, California nor Texas. There's a whole armoire of inherited family photos in the next room, some of which almost certainly were processed by those folks at Irwin's. KodaksUnlike in Canada, where we say Kodak and Lego (which are the actual names), in the US people say Kodaks and Legos. Why? ["Kodaks" = Kodak cameras. - Dave] +81 YearsThe Midwest Cafe was located at 520 Yampa Avenue, now the Spicy Basil. Oh yes ...Yes please, three over easy, hash browns, whole wheat and gravy, coffee for sure. AAA approvalBet it was good back then. KodaksInteresting how brand names take on a generic item identification. Kodaks refer to Kodak cameras specifically, but could have been used for all cameras? Similarly in the UK 'Hoover' became used as a generic term for vacuum cleaning: "I"m going to Hoover the carpets" (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Eateries & Bars, M.P. Wolcott, Small Towns)
Gravity's Railroad: 1921
... the soot stains on the arch). The Gravity Cars apparently came later. Wonder how they came back up the hill, Anti Gravity Cars? Designated Driver I imagine the train ride sobered you up pretty ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/14/2015 - 1:51pm -

Marin County, California, circa 1921. "Mount Tamalpais Tavern and Gravity Car with REO auto." 6½ x 8½ inch glass negative. View full size. Steam PowerThis footage from 1898 shows a Steam Engine pulling out from the Tavern (hence the soot stains on the arch). The Gravity Cars apparently came later. Wonder how they came back up the hill, Anti Gravity Cars? Designated DriverI imagine the train ride sobered you up pretty quickly after enjoying a few pints in the tavern. Gravity CarsThere is an interesting article on this railroad in Wikipedia. Apparently these gravity cars were hauled up to this point (the end of the line) by locomotives and then let go one by one for a ride back down the mountain by gravity. There was a brakeman on board that manually controlled the car's brakes to keep the speed down. It must have been quite a ride. BrickworkI love the brick/tile work on that arch. And I bet they get great water pressure from that tank up the hill! [Those are shingles, same as the ones on the tavern. -Dave] No one under 50 allowedExcept for the front row. Still There (Sort of)The Friends of Mount Tam have built a barn and gravity car as a interpretive display. Sadly the tracks are gone. Felicitous JuxtapositionI think I'd need an hour or so in the tavern before you'd be able to get me on that conveyance. Safety LastApparently nobody cared enough to post some signage about how passengers should KEEP LIMBS INSIDE CAR and DO NOT STAND DURING RIDE. Incidentally: I found that picture so fascinating that I just spent thirty minutes reading up on what was billed as "The Crookest Railroad in the World. I would have LOVED to have had a chance to visit that Tavern. Especially by rail rather than automobile. It burnedIt wasn't the steam engines that caused the fire, but an accident in the Tavern's kitchen in 1923. Replacement opened in 1924 and was torn down in the 1950s. Remnants of the foundations are still visible. Wide LoadThe track seems to be spaced wider than standard gauge railroad track. [It was standard gauge. -tterrace] Cleverest Title EverIt's so good I keep Pynchon myself! (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Railroads, W. Stanley)
Tackle HQ: 1942
... that corner has changed a bit. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/03/2023 - 9:07pm -

July 1942. "Decatur, Alabama. War production center (Ingalls Shipbuilding Co.) on the Tennessee River." Acetate negative by Jack Delano, Office of War Information. View full size. July in DecaturI hope that the Princess is air conditioned. From the bikes parked out front, I'm guessing Saturday afternoon, kids' matinee. "Down Texas Way" sounds like good matinee fare. The Princess Theater is Still ThereLoyd's Drug Store is gone. You can get Mellow Mushrooms on your pizza instead. Down Texas WayThe sixth film of Monogram's eight-film series "The Rough Riders" has U. S. Marshals Buck Roberts (Buck Jones) and Tim McCall (Tim McCoy) coming to a Texas town to visit their friend, U.S. Marshal Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton), only to learn that he has disappeared, and is suspected of the murder of John Dodge (Jack Daley), owner of practically the whole town, except the hotel Sandy owns and runs when he isn't on an assignment as a Marshal. Remnants remain 2nd Ave NE and E Moulton StreetBelow is the Street view today, looking north along 2nd Ave NE from the intersection at E Moulton. The Princess Theater is still there, at 112 2nd Ave NE, as is the small, two story building just this side of it. The building which housed Loyd's Drug Store is gone, replaced by new buildings containing two eateries and an architecture firm. In 1942 there was a barber shop on either side of the Princess, but none now. The theater is still thereBut the rest of that corner has changed a bit. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Jack Delano, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Scooped to Safety: 1924
... too. Note the crank behind this contraption. [Most cars of this vintage had electric starters as well as cranks, for use if the ... ground up under the wheels. Baltimore passenger cars Does anybody know any history about Baltimore brand automobiles? I ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/13/2012 - 4:36pm -

December 17, 1924. Washington, D.C. "Auto safety device demonstration. Inspector Albert Headley." National Photo glass negative. View full size. They have to be kiddingI can't believe anyone would think this would be "safe". Was it supposed to scoop up pedestrians, sit them down and take them for a ride? It's a startI agree. This doesn't look safe whatsoever. It wouldn't even make a decent snowplow! But I applaud the auto company for at least trying to make a safety feature. People CatcherI remember reading about these. They were meant to function the same way as a cow catcher does on the front of train locomotive. Unfortunately, they had a tendency to break the pedestrian's legs and ankles at speeds above 2 mph. The best safety feature on any carwould be a six-inch steel spike pointing straight out from the center of the steering wheel. Hard to startLooks like it would make the car difficult to start, too. Note the crank behind this contraption. [Most cars of this vintage had electric starters as well as cranks, for use if the battery was dead. - Dave] For a special kind of pedestrianObviously this is for pedestrians who are already in a seated position in the middle of road, and are jollily bouncing across an intersection. Although I guess technically they wouldn't be pedestrians then. Cow catchers didn't..."Catch" cows, they were angled to plow them off to the side of the tracks and clear the path of the train. I'm thinking that design would have been a better option here. Bring out the Scoops!Soylent Green is People!!! Proven TechnologyYou can scoff all you want, but trolleys and streetcars used a similar device for over thirty years. I guess a couple of broken ankles beat getting ground up under the wheels. Baltimore passenger carsDoes anybody know any history about Baltimore brand automobiles? I have information that there were about 3 different companies incorporated to build Baltimore cars from about 1899 to 1906 but it indicates that none of them were successful. I would like to learn what years these cars were built. Baltimore AutomobileI'm very interested if anyone knows more about the car in the pic. I can't find anything about a Baltimore Motor Company. There was a Lord Baltimore motor company, but they were only in business for one year, 1913, and this car looks newer than that. anyone got anything? [The car is a circa 1920 Packard. - Dave] (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo)
Meet the Flintstones: 1962
... are pretty impressive. No parking lot full of Iron Age cars, though. - Dave] Go Mustangs! My mom's an alum of Manitou High. Go Mustangs! Naming cars From left to right: The tailfin of a 1958 oldsmobile, a 1961 Chevrolet ... 
 
Posted by shawnv - 12/04/2008 - 6:27pm -

The Manitou cliff dwellings west of Colorado Springs. This was taken on my grandparents' honeymoon out west in 1962. View full size. FordYes, that '62 is a Ford, not a Mercury -- it's a Galaxie. What a great collection. The Old OnesHigh on the list of Anasazi priorities were a reliable water supply and convenient parking. The real cartoon characterThe real cartoon character is the painfully thin old dude with the high-waters and the hat perched on the very top of his head. Is he for real? Bumper stickersOf the six vehicles with their back bumpers facing the camera, it appears at least four of them have the same (rather large) bumper sticker. Black background, red text on the top line, white text on the bottom line. Considering that I almost never saw much in the way of bumper stickers until my later childhood (born in the '60s and grew up in the '70s and '80s), it makes me wonder what this particular sticker was about that attracted so many of these tourists. The ManitouOh, that's just great. I suppose now you'll tell me that the North Pole attraction nearby was fake as well. I guess it's fitting that my only memory of the family vacation to Manitou Springs in the 1960's was my purchase of "real" Confederate banknotes at the North Pole gift shop. Faux AnasaziWhen I lived in the Southwest about 10 years ago, one of my greatest interests was to visit the cliff dwelling of the Anasazi. The ruins at Manitou don't readily come to mind when thinking of such things, and indeed, a quick google search reveals why. While looking somewhat authentic (minus the foreground parking lot and built-in gift shop), the dwellings at Manitou are an early 1900s reconstruction built (somewhat faithfully) for the tourist trade. [I've been to the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, which are pretty impressive. No parking lot full of Iron Age cars, though. - Dave] Go Mustangs!My mom's an alum of Manitou High. Go Mustangs! Naming cars From left to right: The tailfin of a 1958 oldsmobile, a 1961 Chevrolet Impala, 1953 Mercury, 1959 Chevrolet Impala, 1957 Mercury, 1954 Chevrolet, 1962 Mercury and hood of a 1958 Buick. [Close, but. There was no Impala wagon in 1961. And that's a 1958 Mercury. The red convertible is a 1962 Ford. The car in the foreground is a 1959 Ford, not a Buick. - Dave] It's Called "Fit""Painfully thin"? That's normal. Maybe not the average these days with a McDonald's every 3 blocks, but that's fit and trim for any decade. Love the '59 Chevy's taillights and gullwing fins. And bonus points for it being a wagon. Great resale value!Years ago, a friend of mine had a '59 Chevy Kingswood (top of the line) wagon, which he bought for the princely sum of $150. A few years later, it was rear-ended while parked on the street. The only visible damage was a dented tailgate and rear bumper, but it also broke the engine and transmission mounts, and the second seat wouldn't fold down. The other guy's insurance company totaled it, and gave him $500. Talk about resale value! As for bumper stickers, I can remember when Six Flags Over Texas would put a bumper sticker on every car parked in the lot -- if you didn't want one, you had to fold down the driver's side sun visor. Bumper stickers of oldI remember leaving "Clyde Peeling's Reptile Land" in northern Pennsylvania when I was just a kid and finding someone had placed a bumper sticker on my Dad's big old Plymouth. Dad went nuts! He stormed back into Reptile Land, presumably tore the heads off of several snake wranglers and reemerged with a razor blade to scrape the sticker off that fine chrome bumper. I stood in the hot sun with Mom while Dad cursed and scraped and then cursed and scraped some more. "Old Dude" ProtestThe man referred to as an old cartoon character was probably under 40 and he was not wearing floodpants as that was the standard proper length in 1962, hems stopping above the top of the shoes (Think Beatles suits in 1964). Clothes were close-fitting and closely trimmed. Am I the only one who remembers the "Mod" look? "Painfully Old"I have to agree with the poster about feeling "painfully old." Aren't the laws of physics being bent here? How could there be an adult here who had grandparents honeymooning in 1962? My parents were married in 1962 at age 21 and had me a year later! My husband and I have small children and are trying for more - I didn't feel old before. [So Grandma and Grandpa got hitched in 1962. They had a kid, let's say, in 1963. We'll call him Billy. Billy gets married when he turns 23, in 1986. Billy and his wife have a kid in 1988, and name him Shawn. Shawn is now 20 years old, posting away on Shorpy. Tempus fugit. (Am I close?) - Dave] 1961 Chevy Bel AirThe second car from the left is a 1961 Chevy all right, but it's a Bel Air not an Impala. The Impala has 6 tail lights! [There was no Impala wagon in 1961. Or Bel Air, either. The 1961 Chevy wagons (Nomad, Parkwood, Brookwood) all maxed out at four taillights. - Dave] Chevy NomadThe Nomad wagons had the same trim as Impalas, but Nomad badging on the rear fenders and tailgate. And four taillights, not six. They could be ordered with either a six or V-8, which might have surprised the Beach Boys. Steve Miller Tachin' it up someplace near the crossroads of America Nice.This is a nice picture and all. The dwellings are cool, the cars are interesting, but, holy smokes, his/her grandparents' honeymoon, in 1962??? That makes me feel painfully old. Bumper StickersBack in the 50's and 60's many attractions hired high school kids to zip around the parking lot placing bumper stickers (signs actually) on every car. The signs were usually light cardboard with thin metal straps on each end. Since cars had real, stand-alone bumpers, it was a simple matter to bend the straps around the bumper. Visitors could easily remove the sign when they got home, but in the meantime -- free advertising. My dad would fume at the possibility of scratching the chrome on our beloved 1955 Packard Patrician and remove them before leaving the parking lot. Bumper StickersWasn't it common in the 50s and 60s for touristy places (notice I avoid the perjorative "tourist trap") to have an employee go through the parking lot and bumper-sticker every single car? That's always been the story about the Tommy Bartlett shows in the Wisconsin Dells. I suspect that's the case here. High SchoolI graduated from high school in 1962, and I would gladly sacrifice a finger or two for one of those cars! Wagons HoI am going to suggest that the 61 chevy wagon is a 9-passenger Brookwood or Parkwood, but it really is impossible to tell which model only by looking at the back of it. I think it's a 9-passenger because you can see a step on the bumper below the outboard taillight. The 59 wagon is either a Brookwood or a Parkwood, because there are no bumper steps (Kingswood) and the tail light lenses are plain (Nomad). The 59 also has the optional back up lights under the bumper. It's no Brookwood..If it's a 9-passenger, it ain't no Brookwood. B'woods came in 6 passenger models only, and the 2-door version (in a wagon! yes!) was the "Nomad". Only the BelAir and the Parkwoods would have had a 3rd seat. [There was no two-door Nomad for 1959, only four-door. The only two-door Chevy wagon that year was the Brookwood. And there was no Bel Air wagon. No nine-passenger Parkwood, either. The only 1959 Chevy wagon with a third seat ("Lookout Lounge") was the Kingswood. - Dave] Sixty-OneI was referring to the '61 Wagon. And i stand corrected, myself: '61 featured 3 wagons - all 4-doors, and all available as 6 or 9 passenger wagons: Brookwood, Parkwood, and the Nomad. (according to the Chevrolet bible). MercurialThe second car from the left is our hardtop 1953 Mercury coupe. And Dave you are very close in your assumption -- Shawn was born in 1987. Yah, Dineah speaking, through my friend, Standing Dog. Well, these cheesy tourist traps can be helpful when they teach real lessons about the indigenous peoples, but most whites go away clutching Eastern tribe tomahawks and faux eagle feather headdresses. The Anasazi were a very successful group that were undone by climate change. Local deforestation combined with radically changed rain patterns spelled the end to their advanced agricultural practices, and forced them to assimilate with the still successful Hopi and Dineah. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Travel & Vacation)
Fast Women: 1924
... system seems rather effective. Big girls in small cars My father bought my brother an electric car for Christmas.... must have ... women sure knew how to cast a glance. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC) ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/26/2015 - 2:37am -

New York circa 1924. The Brox sisters again, on the road to success with a detour through the living room. Bain News Service glass negative. View full size. Better Lookingthan those Marx Brothers! Bedrock palsBetty drives Wilma and a friend for an afternoon bite while Barney and Fred are at work. The girls are pretty... but I really want that little car for my living room! Just You, Just MeStop ! !That patent leather braking system seems rather effective. Big girls in small carsMy father bought my brother an electric car for Christmas.... must have been about 1974 or 75, when I was 19. It was lots of fun riding it to the kitchen to get something from the fridge, accompanied by my brother screaming at me to give it back. I feel a solidarity with these gals. Bobbe Van HeusenIn 1969 Bobbe married the famous composer Jimmy Van Heusen. Her Find-a-Grave bio. Come HitherThese women sure knew how to cast a glance. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, G.G. Bain, NYC)
The Dawn of Botts Dots: 1969
... What a gorgeous looking day. Photoshop out the highways, cars, roads, bridges, people, stoplights, and signs, and you have an Ansel ... the dark for a few days. So many memories! Sparse cars I imagine it's been many a day since that road has been that lightly ... 
 
Posted by tterrace - 03/06/2023 - 7:00pm -

Three years after the first Botts dots were installed on a California highway, I took this Kodachrome going south on US 101 at the Alto interchange in Marin County, California. This was when it was still a full cloverleaf, with its hair-raisingly overlapping entry and exit lanes below the overpass. Off to the left, Belvedere and Tiburon; to the right, Mill Valley. Again, this is the era of Volkswagen Beetle ubiquity: there are at least three visible here, one in its favorite habitat, the fast lane. View full size. Neat ideaThis first time I every saw those dots in 1974 I was astounded. I was visiting my grandmother in San Francisco and we were driving late at night. On the highway I saw an amazing sight, you could see all the lanes marked out with these green glowing dots just as well as if you were driving during the day. Right away, I wondered why didn't somebody think to do that back home. Why even in thick fog you would be able to see and stay in your lane without any trouble. If was obvious. Then somebody pointed out to me that with, back home in Canada, winter storms dropping a foot of snow on the highway and then snow plows scraping everything off the roads after they might not work quite as well as in California. Back to the drawing board and you know what? Almost 40 years later, they still haven't put any on the highways here! Go figure. [Here in the Northeastern U.S., they embed the reflectors in the pavement so that they're flush with the surface and can't be scraped off by plows. - Dave] Before Better BottsThe first generation of Botts Dots, I learned, were nailed to the pavement. After working free, they'd puncture tires. Later they were glued to the roadbed. Ahh, CaluhfourneyeayeWhat a gorgeous looking day. Photoshop out the highways, cars, roads, bridges, people, stoplights, and signs, and you have an Ansel Adams photograph. Rule(s) of the BeetleOne of which was "the brighter the color, the more obnoxious the driver," which we see illustrated here. Is that a Fiat just behind it? It's hard to tell, but I think that's another VW in the northbound slow lane, just under the overpass from our point of view. Otherwise a nice selection of Detroit iron: a Thunderbird, a Cougar, and a couple of Oldsmobiles in the southbound lane, plus something I can't make out. Northbound, another Beetle, a Dodge truck that may be an armored car, GMC pickup, and what looks like a '70 Ford but is probably a '69 unless this was quite late in the year, plus several others obscured by guardrail, other vehicles, or distance. And you can actually see the pavement, instead of wall-to-wall sheet metal, in the daytime! Those were the days. Reflections on a dotTo this day most Botts dots are non-reflective, so they don't show a whole lot better at night than painted lines. You can see a standard recessed (and snow plow friendly) reflector in the space between every other grouping of Botts dots in the picture. There are some technologies that give them reflectivity, but I'm surprised that they haven't standardized a technique that embeds glass beads into the surface for good reflectivity like with most road paint or thermoplastic striping. Am I the only one who keeps mistyping it as Botts dotts? re: Pre-BottsWow, Steve Stephens, nifty! That's when it was called the Alto Wye, which I hazily remember along with the Corte Madera Wye just to the north. The days when four-lane divided roads like this were called superhighways. Pre-Botts Dots daysA circa 1955 photo, also looking south at the same spot, when the cloverleaf interchange in the main photo was in the process of being built to handle ever increasing Marin County traffic. I moved here in Sept. 1957 to start high school and can attest there have been a lot of changes here since then, and not for the better. Reflector dotsHere in the non-snowy parts of California, the reflectors placed between the groups of Botts dots are also raised. Even those become less and less reflective as they become scuffed, abraded, dirtied and chipped. A glass-beaded surface on the Botts dots would lose its reflectivity pretty quickly. Lou JudsonHey, this was MY turnoff! I lived in Strawberry Point, over the hill on the left, from 1957 to 1971. All those hills except the top of the farthest one are now covered with houses! I nearly burst into tears when I came over the Alto hill and saw that they had chopped off the top of the hill on the right to build a development called Enchanted Knolls - with streets named after English poets (Yet I have never heard a poem as beautiful as a hill). Personally I love cloverleaf interchanges. The skill it takes to negotiate them should be a driver test requirement! I feel they have been changed to stoplight intersections due to the stupidity of the common driver - and the offramp to the right now has four lanes and still backs up over the hill behind the pov. At the time of this photo I was commuting to SF State College in my 58 VW bus from Strawberry. Twenty years later I was coming over the top of the Alto Hill when the Loma Prieta earthquake happened. I did not feel it because I was in my fourth VW bus, but saw the transformers on all the power poles in this picture explode in blue-white light as the grid went down and left us in the dark for a few days. So many memories! Sparse carsI imagine it's been many a day since that road has been that lightly traveled. Rolling HillsThanks for another Marin Memory, tterrace. I navigated this turnoff daily when I lived in the Strawberry district of Mill Valley from 1969 to 1971. I'm also very familiar with the surge in development described by other posters that has taken place here over the last four decades. Both sides of the freeway beyond the overpass are now crowded by shopping centers, car dealerships, and gas stations. But there's also good news to report. The reason the hills in the distance have escaped development is that they were set aside in 1972 as part of a sprawling urban park called the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The area, now known as the Marin Headlands, is under stewardship of the National Park Service. TailgatingI drove a VW bug for 17 years and noticed an unfailing rule which is also evident in this picture: People always tailgate you when you drive a Volkswagen in the left (fast) lane, even if you're speeding yourself. Botts update.I've been meaning to take this shot since seeing this image, but I just don't go in that direction as much as I used to. I had to use my iphone, as I forgot to bring my "real" camera. It gives an idea of how things have changed. The shot was taken well after the commute time, and seems not much different than the original shot. It was a gray day, so I decided to sample the original clouds to spruce things up. The Prius has replaced the Volkswagen in these parts as the people's car. 1930sThe Redwood Highway (southbound) swung hard right here and went west of the big hill on the right back in the 1930s. I think about the time the bridges were being built (BB and GGB, 1935-37) the highway cut was made through here and connected with the then-new Richardson Bay Bridge, itself made of redwood and replaced in the late '50s when the freeway was built. 1931 PicHere is a classic shot of almost the exact location of tterrace's 1969 picture. This is well before the Golden Gate Bridge was built. All traffic at Alto Wye had to turn right and travel through Mill Valley to continue on towards Sausalito and then San Francisco via ferry. More detail: http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt1v19q6ff/ (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery, On the Road, tterrapix)
Schwinners: 1970
... also note a preponderance of evergreens. - Dave] The Cars On the left, a dented 1960 Ford Fairlane; on the right, a (now ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2022 - 4:27pm -

From around 1970, somewhere in Suburbia, comes this Kodachrome of two lovely lasses attired in Easter egg pastels, and a tricycle not long for this world. View full size. Pretty in Pink, Striking in YellowAnd Fast on Old Blue ... nice shiny chrome fenders. Winnie Cooper'slil' sis? There's more than a little resemblance. But ultimately of more importance: in the distance not one but two VW's ; Detroit's - and by implication America's - decline from industrial supremacy to (simply) "leadership" is well underway Missing WheelThe tricycle may get hit by the car in the driveway, but the dented car on the left won't be backing into it. A rear wheel seems to be missing. [Not to worry. It's there. - Dave] Look before backing!Maybe that was a new bicycle - but hope they aren't cycling in those clothes and shoes! Sad thing, but I'm reminded of the time my aunt Shirley backed up without looking and killed Grandma's dog Trixie. I was about 10, and it was a sad day ... though I didn't witness it, I heard her last yelp from across the field. Still want to cry, and always look before backing up! Trike, Trixie, backing up -- They are lovely lassesVery likely best friends. No way to tell if this friendship lasted years or somewhere along the way they lost touch. Most of us have experienced both. The two license plates I can see are dark blue with yellow letters/numbers. That makes one possible state Pennsylvania, which I'm going to run with based on the neighborhood, distant terrain, and everything else. I can't read that street sign. Dave, can you? [The street name is four letters; the second letter looks like an i. Something like BIRD, RICE, BIBB, along with CR or CT. I also note a preponderance of evergreens. - Dave] The CarsOn the left, a dented 1960 Ford Fairlane; on the right, a (now mid-size) 1968 Fairlane 500 with the side marker light that became mandatory that year. In the driveway behind it, a Chevy Corvair convertible with the top up. Blue sedan on the left is a 1964 Chevrolet. There was a classmatein my junior college days who drove a brand new, black 1960 Ford convertible with black and white interior. We had first period class together so I would most often see him in the parking lot when he drove in with the top down. I lusted after that car but couldn't afford anything even close to his ride. Man that was beautiful vehicle and I would still like to own one but they are very hard to find. It's odd that 1950's Chevys are plentiful but Fords not so much. Sympathy for the PedalAll the Schwinners are Saints. Upstate NYThe license plates are New York, 1966 to 1973 series. Pennsylvania was a good guess, but they did not use front plates. Given the view, we can rule out Long Island, but this scene would fit almost anywhere else in the state. Those smiles thoughThat's just about the cutest thing I've seen all day. The sweet girl on the right is almost certainly my age. I had a dress very like hers except mine had sleeves and it was made of ice blue dotted swiss. My sister's outfit had a few style differences from mine, and was green. Our mother sewed the frocks for us to wear on Easter in 1970 and we broke the mold by going to church that year. Oh those lovely stockings!I remember how sophisticated we felt in those textured stockings. And believe me, those weren't no pantyhose, no sirree. Those were two individual stockings held up by awful, uncomfortable garter belts that would unsnap and let you down from time to time. But paired with these simple, A-line shift dresses, those stockings made us feel like we just stepped off the page of a fashion magazine. No curbs, sidewalks or even drainage?I drive through neighborhoods delivering packages, and this time of year is especially dangerous as the large ditches in neighborhoods like these are often filled with recently fallen leaves. I see no sign of drainage measures taken in this shot, am I missing something? [There's a big drain next to the street sign. - Dave] HURD CTI believe this photo was taken looking east from the corner of Hurd Court and Bontecou Road in the Town of Stony Point, New York. I base this in on the following: The houses match what is shown on google street view, but the perspective is so different it's difficult to tell. The utility tower in the distance is still there but you have to move up quite a long way to see on street view. The contour of the mountains match what you would see if you had a clear view today, they are on the opposite side of the Hudson River from Stony Point. The biggest hint was that YEARS ago a photo identified as being in this neighborhood was posted on Shorpy, possibly even the same street, but facing west as I remember. [That's it! Even the storm drain is still there. - Dave] (Bicycles, Easter, Found Photos, Kids, Stephen Kodachromes)
Motel Moderne: 1962
... inch acetate negative. View full size. Late 1950s Cars 1957 Cadillac; 1959 Ford station wagon; 1960 Ford; ? Lincoln ... on postcards). How much later I guess we can judge by the cars ... who knew "dating assist" was an AAA service ? (The Gallery, Cars, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/04/2022 - 12:41pm -

Columbus, Georgia, circa 1962. Our second look at the Martinique Motor Hotel, last seen here from different spatial and seasonal vantages. 4x5 inch acetate negative. View full size. Late 1950s Cars1957 Cadillac; 1959 Ford station wagon; 1960 Ford; ? Lincoln Continental; Chevy Corvair; 1957 Chevy; '58 Mercury station wagon; '58 Chevy; maybe a Cadillac behind the bushes; '56 Oldsmobile; '59 Chevy station wagon. [The Lincoln would be a 1961 or later model; that's a 1959 Mercury wagon; the car next to the '58 Chevy is a 1962 Chevrolet. - Dave] Motel? More like school!The architecture closely resembles my high school (also built in the 60s). The school had a few more windows -- not many, but a few. The upper 48 ?The corner building is apparently a later addition (and explains the differing info on postcards). How much later I guess we can judge by the cars ... who knew "dating assist" was an AAA service ? (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Columbus, Ga., News Photo Archive)
One of Frank's Cars
... I thought I would post one of my cousin Frank Klemm's cars. This is one of the best pictures. He took pictures of all the cars he owned, which was many. He loved cars. View full size. ... 
 
Posted by Larie - 06/20/2011 - 1:12pm -

I thought I would post one of my cousin Frank Klemm's cars. This is one of the best pictures. He took pictures of all the cars he owned, which was many. He loved cars. View full size. Frank's CarIs a 1940 Chevrolet, I think. Here's my color correction attempt. (ShorpyBlog, Member Gallery)
Near Normal: 1900
... improvements as well. The derail probably remained if cars were still left on that track if they could endanger the main line. ... but there was no requirement that they be installed on all cars. Cars without air brake equipment were run at the rear of the train so ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 10/09/2015 - 12:43pm -

Circa 1900. "Track to be straightened. Normal, Ill's." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Photographic Company. View full size. StraighteningThe straightening spoken of is probably just that. The curvature may be too severe for the escalating speeds that railroads were beginning to see. Realigning was sometimes done to gain grade improvements as well. The derail probably remained if cars were still left on that track if they could endanger the main line. Air BrakesThe car in the background by the platform does have air brakes, as evidenced by the presence of a brake hose dangling to the right of the coupler. The car in the left foreground does not appear to have air brakes. The air brake in its present form was introduce in 1869, but there was no requirement that they be installed on all cars. Cars without air brake equipment were run at the rear of the train so that the cars with the equipment could be strung together at the front of the train under the control of the engineer. If the engineer needed more braking force than could be provided the equipped cars alone, whistle signals advised the conductor and rear trainman to walk to the top of the train setting handbrakes. The type of control valves in use by 1900 were only reliable for trains up to about 20 cars, so frequently longer trains were run with the air hoses connected on only the front portion of the train and the remainder of the train was still controlled by handbrakes as described above. These were called "part air" trains. Improvements to brake valves introduced in 1906 allowed longer trains, with up to 40 cars controlled by air brakes. The type AB brake valve on cars, introduced in 1933, permitted reliable control of a train with air of up to 150 cars, and part air trains disappeared shortly after that. Arch bar trucksArch bar trucks were legal on interchange railroads until 1940, but they had been being phased out for decades before that. They were used a lot longer than that on non-interchange lines like the SP narrow gauge -- one of the boxcars in our collection (SP 10) was still in service on the Inyo-Kern SP in 1960. Southern Pacific Boxcar 10 Repack Date This wooden Carter built boxcar was originally built in 1880. It is still sitting on trucks on our track in Fremont, CA. It could be one of the longest 'in service' box cars in the world--hard to say though. LocationMile post C124, must be 124 miles to Chicago, Ill. Rail to be straightened.The rail to be straightened reference you mentioned is a derail and is controlled by rodwork from either a tower in back of the photographer or the depot building. Interesting bit of trackworkThere is a derail built into the rail closest to the viewer. It is controlled by the rods along side the track. Its purpose was to prevent runaway cars from fouling the main line. Seldom seen in the modern era. Interesting scene.Archbar trucks were legal for many years after this photo. Interesting details here: note the grain door in the boxcar at left; also the point derail in foreground and dwarf signal operated by pipe rodding from a tower behind the photographer. Another detail is the home signal on the gantry ... it is two-position with only red and white colors, which was standard on most railroads until a few years later. The signal is operated with long wires, which you can see alongside the pipe rodding in foreground. Old CarsI know steam locomotives, not cars, but these seem a bit outdated even for 1900. They look at best 1880's vintage, though they've obviously been well maintained. This is along the Chicago & Alton route between Chicago and St. Louis. Archbar trucks and brakewheelsDefinitely a transition era-- the wooden box cars have archbar trucks with wooden bolsters; journal boxes with babbit metal bearings; body hung brakes with no signs of airbrakes, but they have Janney knuckle couplers. Can you image being a brakeman on these boxcars? Having to run on the roofwalk and jump between cars to turn the brakewheels to stop or slow these cars. yikes. If it wasn't labeled "Normal [Ill.]I might have placed the scene in Peculiar, Mo. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
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