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California Building: 1942
May 1942. "Denver, Colorado." Whose California Building poses that incendiary interrogative, ... quote says "In 1923 Clara and Russell Stover of Denver, Colorado, made their first candy for sale in the kitchen of their bungalow ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/19/2022 - 12:01pm -

May 1942. "Denver, Colorado." Whose California Building poses that incendiary interrogative, SMOKE? Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Rare Limo?I’m wondering if the multi-passenger vehicle parked outside the jewelry store is the same vehicle described here and here. Of which only eight were built, and only one survives. Where there's fireSmoke? Like, dude, if the answer's yes, come on in. Whatcha waitin' for -- an engraved invitation? Urgently, Burt F. Davis Mrs. Stover's Bungalow CandiesLooking up the name of that candy shop takes one to a website that sells nostalgiac porcelain models of old-timey buildings, and one of them is a Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies like the one in this picture. Turns out they started there in Denver and eventually became Russell Stover. The quote says "In 1923 Clara and Russell Stover of Denver, Colorado, made their first candy for sale in the kitchen of their bungalow home. The candies were called Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies. Today, Mrs. Stover is remembered for the creation of a successful business, her work on the candy recipes, and the designs of the original retail stores." Interesting how Clara just sort of got removed from the business name. I mean, was Russell really even responsible for any of the recipes? EDIT: The guy sitting out there in front of Mrs. Stover's ... is that Russell the recipe thief himself? :o Denver demoThe California Building was demolished in 1961, along with several other buildings that made up the "Wall Street of the Rockies". It was replaced with what is now called the United Western Financial Center. That was long enough ago that the tower was listed as a contributing building when Denver applied for a downtown historic district. SmokeI know I’m a bad boy who smokes (cigars), and when the time comes for the evil practice to bite me in the lungs, I’ll have only myself to blame. But when I look at photos such as this one, I long to be part of this scene in 1942, where passersby do not scowl and frown at me because of my cigar, or even do that coughing thing they sometimes do when I pass. There are smokers everywhere in this scene: right in front of the California Building doors; the second man approaching him; the pipe smoker crossing the streetcar tracks on the left. You can even see a friendly puff of smoke in front of his face. Of course, these 1942 guys and I all have lower life expectancies, but at least I could walk down the street without being treated like some kind of freak. You should see some parents with their children: the kids see me and ask their parents what they’re looking at, then the parents whisper something to them, and the kids look at me like I’m a bad man. In 1942, I would’ve told them to go bring me an ashtray. Mystery Limo?From the shape of the fenders, it appears that a 1938 Cadillac Series 60 commercial chassis was used, with a custom body that seems to incorporate a 1930's Ford "slantback" rear, with the Ford "sad eyes" back window. Cadillac commercial chassis were all Cadillac from the cowl forward, extra long, heavy duty, and coachbuilders supplied the rest, typically hearses! Yarrr ...Mr. Davis seems like an interesting fellow if you go off his cigar labels! https://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0067787/00002 (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, John Vachon, Streetcars)
Bird Herder: 1939
October 1939. Chaffee County, Colorado. "Paul Arnold, son of FSA client. Herding turkeys." Gobbler and ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/23/2022 - 10:56pm -

October 1939. Chaffee County, Colorado. "Paul Arnold, son of FSA client. Herding turkeys." Gobbler and gobblee. Photo by Arthur Rothstein, Farm Security Administration. View full size. Eat more ham!He's staring straight at you so you can read his mind -- Turkey is way more work and half the time you have to drown it in gravy cause it's so dry. No one really knows how to carve a turkey and everyone ends up fighting over this piece or that. The frustration is what causes someone to mention that old topic no one wants to hear about and now not even grandma's dressing and pumpkin pie is gonna make everyone happy. Get a ham. Typical TomHe's undressing that bird with his eyes. Ironically the vision includes dressing. Hmmm, he's not herdin' themIt looks to me like Paul, son of FSA client, is holding them! There may be a little cuddling going on there too. The world wants to know --Is herding turkeys as hard as herding cats? Above and beyond that, this is a great Rothstein photo. Fowl bawlat the realization the window of opportunity for collective bargaining rights had closed in October. The Scarecrow ComethA young Ray Bolger, circa Wizard of Oz look-alike, is bringing the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Love the turkeys!Jeez, Doug, what an attitude! My wife and I cook succulent, flavorful turkeys and all the sides are delicious! Besides, we have been eating our way through a succulent, flavorFul ham for the past week and it's time to talk turkey! :-) I think we'l be doing a nice roast beef next... All three of the above make a great sandwich after the big day What's not to love? Oh, maybe you cook your own turkey and need some help? Doug, those are mostly long lost arts... in many places perhaps, but in my house we try to cook the turkey moist and with the traditional sides. Hope everyone had a wonderful day. Turn That Bird Upside Down!Pay no attention to that earlier comment! Put some chunked carrots and celery into the bottom of the roasting pan, add some water, put the roasting rack in and place that bird breast-side down on the rack. Stuff some halved oranges and lemons into the bird's cavities, massage it with melted butter mixed with a little maple syrup, and roast at 325 until it's done. You'll have a tender, moist, and delicious turkey that'll make a ham hide itself in shame . . . not to mention the great gravy fixings you'll get. I love me some turkey, tooMy previous comment was plagiarizing a famous ad campaign by saying what the turkey would be saying to save his life. Thanks, Matilda, for reminding me about roasting a turkey upside down. I do, indeed, love turkey and all the fixings. I also tell people that, for six and a half years I was the sole caregiver for a family member. We had no family nearby so, each year for Thanksgiving we ordered Chinese takeout. Our logic was: if the Pilgrims could have ordered Chinese takeout -- they would have. (The Gallery, Agriculture, Arthur Rothstein, Thanksgiving)
Texaco: 1925
... a four story office building at the corner of Missouri and Colorado ("Brightwood Bistro" on the first-floor awning). It might be ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/13/2011 - 9:38pm -

1925. Washington, D.C. "Texas Company, Georgia Avenue and Military Road." Gas now 20 cents a gallon for regular, 23 for Texalene Benzol Blend. As we can see, this was during the Great Splotch Epidemic of 1925. View full size. Google views etcWhile I appreciate that some people live in the pictured areas and have inserted Google maps and enlargable color views, I only find them annoying. Frequently when I try to view a picture "Full Size", I have to scan through a bunch of modern views that do not interest me at all since I do not live in the area. Hate to sound like a curmudgeon, but it is very annoying to have this happen as it slows things down while the maps and pictures load.It seems to have become a rampant disease to put these modern photos in with our old pictures. I go to Shorpy to see how things used to be, especially the vehicles and signage. Gas Wars!Inflation must not have been an issue back then. I can remember paying that same 23 cents in 1968. The PitsGreat little grease pit (as we called 'em when I was a lad) and station. It looks like the grease monkey had to slip under the car or perhaps only pull it partway over the pit to grease it. "Gasoline alley" (at Indy) must've had these during its early years, hence the term "the pits." Third time's the charmTimeandagainphoto was close, and Mr DCMemories was off by a couple of blocks. Here's the view today (note the identical building on the right). [Timeandagain wasn't off at all -- he was pointing out the rowhouses in back. - Dave] View Larger Map Gasoline Goes Big TimeCompared to the pitiable "Gas Shack," the Texaco chain obviously attended business school and learned all about brand development and image. Consistent use of logos, repeated everywhere, and a snappy little iconic building, presumably out of the corporate stylebook, promoting respectability through "better architecture," and even though standardized, still made of solid materials. Service pit.To the left of the station is a service pit for changing oil and greasing bearings. No need to crawl under the car, just walk down a few stairs and look up. Open pit reduxA neighbour in the town where I grew up had a oil-change pit in his backyard garage! It wasn't a particularly old house; 1950s vintage I suppose. It was covered with planks much of the time, but I recall seeing "Butch" down there with a hanging lamp a few times. I never knew how he got down there; most likely a ladder since there wasn't room for a set of stairs. Michelin man running.I thought he'd lost a little weight recently! Georgia Avenue and Rock Creek Ford Road NWThis view is looking northwest to the corner of Georgia Avenue and Rock Creek Ford Road, NW. The rowhouses in the background are still standing which front on Rock Creek Ford Road at the corner of Piney Branch Road. View Larger Map And let the yuppies find homesBrand new housing complex, "6 rooms, $8450." Appear to be pretty nice housing, definitely lots of porch area. Historical markerIn the Google Street Views, there is a historical marker on the island between Missouri Avenue and Rock Creek Ford Road. When you zoom in on it, one side of the marker says (I believe) "Battleground to Community" and has indistinct old photos (perfect for Shorpy?). From another angle, the back of same marker seems to show a historic photo of the building across the street from it, a four story office building at the corner of Missouri and Colorado ("Brightwood Bistro" on the first-floor awning). It might be interesting to see if the old photos from that marker could be found and presented on Shorpy, with an explanation of their historic significance. View Larger Map Georgia and Military, now MissouriThis eastern continuation of Military Road is now part of Missouri Avenue. There has been a service station on this intersection all of those years. View Larger Map Michelin tiresI live near Clermont-Ferrand, France, the historical birthplace of the Michelin Company, so this Michelin tires ad in 1925 in the USA is a pretty interesting sight. Thanks Shorpy.com ! Open PitI used to work in a garage that had an indoor grease pit, where there were numerous instances of human error resulting in injury. Whoops, plop! I can't imagine one uncovered and outdoors. Talk about an accident waiting to happen! Brightwood Heritage TrailThat marker is from the Brightwood Heritage Trail. Cultural Tourism DC has lots of those neighborhood trails all over Washington. BucolicAs a resident of DC, I can't get over how positively rural this view is. Incredible how far a city can come. Cheaper, but not so cheapFor anyone interested, using a standard web-based inflation adjustor, 20-cent gasoline in 1926 is equivalent to gas at $2.40 a gallon today; the 23-cent stuff would cost $2.76. Assuming improvements in octane rating and engine efficiency since the 1920s, the real cost in miles per dollar probably isn't much different, and today's gas may actually take you farther per (inflation-adjusted) dollar. Re: Google views etcIn response to Jesse Livingston's comment, I enjoy seeing the modern photos posted by readers. It's interesting to compare new with old, and it sometimes helps by putting the old photo in context. Amazing To See What Used to Be The house I grew up in is northwest of and about a 20 minute walk from this spot. My grade school (until 3rd grade) was Brightwood Elementary, 5 mintues west on Military Road. I may have seen this place as a gas station when I was little but I do remember it as a convenience store and I think maybe a place that sold alcohol. In any case, my parents never went there, so I never did, either. (The Gallery, D.C., Gas Stations, Natl Photo)
Throwing Horses: 1900
... that took place during the Plains Indian wars in northeast Colorado in 1868. Canine Great dog. N. Y. Giants Revisited ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/02/2012 - 9:52pm -

Orchard Lake, Michigan, circa 1900. "Cavalry detachment, throwing horses. Michigan Military Academy." Detroit Publishing glass negative. View full size. Next up:Cow-tipping. Survival SkillThe photo documents horse soldiers practicing what was once a necessary defensive skill. If your unit was attacked in open country, sometimes the only available cover was, unfortunately, your horse. This maneuver was illustrated by R. F. Zogbaum for "The United States Army," an article by Francis V. Greene that appeared in the November, 1901 issue of Scribner's Magazine. The painting depicted "The Defeat of Roman Nose by Col. Forsyth," a historical battle that took place during the Plains Indian wars in northeast Colorado in 1868. CanineGreat dog. N. Y. Giants RevisitedThose horses are faking; they're not really injured. Never FailsPrivate Smith! WHY is YOUR horse different?! Go back and practice with the dog UNTIL you can GET IT RIGHT! They shoot horses don't they?Not only as barricades to be shot. I am thinking that they also kept their horses down to make a lower profile with bullets and arrows flying around during attack. That horse was the cowboy's only avenue of escape. As a bonifide geezer of the cowboy movie and TV watching days of westerns, I'm sure I saw it done by either Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, The Cisco Kid, The Lone Ranger or Zorro. Or did it go back to Hoot Gibson or Ken Maynard? You can't find better proof than that! A Dog Face SoldierEven the dog knows the drill. Disclaimer.No animals were harmed in the making of this picture. A Great ExampleIf you're looking for a scene like this in a movie, check out the sequence in John Ford's movie "Rio Grande" where the Apaches are chasing Trooper Tyree. At one point Tyree, played by the great Western actor, stunt man and rodeo cowboy Ben Johnson takes his horse down like this as a barricade. Neigh indeedPerhaps my connection to this circa 1900 photo is not too extraordinary, but my late father, born in 1913, often regaled me (well, "bored" was the word I used then) with tales of doing this exact same maneuver with his cavalry horse as a member of the Kentucky National Guard in the late 1930s. I remember thinking then how much easier it was to get our dog Bojo to lie down. A horse? That was crazy talk coming from the old man. Nothing New Gleason's Horse Book, 1832. I am a great believer in throwing horses, and would recommend that every horse should be thrown for this reason, that it takes the conceit out of them, and gives them to understand that man has more power than they have. If used by men of good judgment and patience, all young horses can be thoroughly brought under control by this manner of handling. Household Words, Oct 16, 1858. Charles Dickens. Amateur Horse Training … There is nothing new in throwing horses down; it is an expedient which has been resorted to as far back as records go, for the purpose of performing surgical operations. It has usually been performed by fettering the animal's forelegs, and then pulling them violently from under him by ropes in the hands of half-a-dozen stout fellows. Since the Rarey-plan has been made public, research, almost antiquarian, has shown that forty or fifty years ago, a method was devised by which a man could throw a horse down single-handed; and so, too, strapping up a horse's leg has been an old expedient for dressing, shoeing, or mounting a restive horse. SaddlelessNo saddles. Interesting. CompassionIt is interesting to note the various handlers' attitudes towards their horses; the man in the foreground seems to have a compassionate bond with the animal, by the placement of his left hand. I would like to think that he grew up around horses, as many men of that era did. Sad.Here we see the unfortunate aftermath of testing the horseapult. Stick to cats, gentlemen. They're lighter and also angrier when thrown. So who wonThese guys throwing for height, or distance? (The Gallery, Curiosities, DPC, Horses)
Logan's Heroes: 1942
May 1942. Kremmling, Colorado. "Soldiers from Fort Logan hitchhiking along U.S. Highway 40." Acetate ... Training Command, which had a branch at Lowry Field, Colorado. As opposed to flight instruction, the Technical Training Command ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/18/2022 - 2:15pm -

May 1942. Kremmling, Colorado. "Soldiers from Fort Logan hitchhiking along U.S. Highway 40." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Synchronized ThumbingOur boys show how it's done: Army Air CorpsEnlisted Army Air Corps personnel (collar insignia). There's an airfield in Kremmling, but I don't know if that was an Army Air Corps installation at one time. I wonder where they're heading, particularly since they don't seem to have any luggage. My dad was on his wayWithin a year or so of Vachon's picture my father arrived at Ft Logan as a newly minted Army Air Corpsman destined for medical corps training. Here he is back in Brooklyn with his younger sister either on his way west or on his way to Fort Dix where he shipped out to England (not sure of which way he was going). Here they are again (on the left) about twenty years later in this picture I posted here a few years ago. I don't have many regrets but one I do have is never really asking Dad about his service time. He told me quite a bit about his college days but never elaborated much on his time in the Army. I wish I could go back and question him about it. Army Air Corps (not yet Air Force)The two soldiers appear to be wearing the DUI (Distinctive Unit Insignia) of the Army Air Corps' Technical Training Command, which had a branch at Lowry Field, Colorado. As opposed to flight instruction, the Technical Training Command instructed soldiers in support skills like photography, armament and clerical roles. Superman SustainsIt's a bird; it's a plane; it's an Airman! CockedI bet that guy on the left didn't wear his hat that way during inspections. Hitch HikersI would give them a lift anytime. (The Gallery, John Vachon, On the Road, Small Towns, WW2)
Little Rock: 1910
... to make public announcements. Also, whey does Colorado have a Boulder, and Arkansas only has a Little Rock? Is it because ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 7:02pm -

Little Rock, Arkansas, circa 1910. "Main Street north from Sixth." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. KressWe see the five and dime store, Kress. Kress, a national chain in its day, is not to be confused with SS Kresge, that company survived to found Kmart and eventually control Sears as well. The company is now called Sears Holding. Blocks and Blocks of Wonderful BuildingsIf you follow the buildings on down the street, you can see what a pretty downtown Little Rock had. It has a few businesses that were also in Dallas in that time. The ones I can spot are Kress Variety Store, Droughon's Business School and Metropolitan Life Insurance. Note the sign that designates the corner. In those days they often met each other on the corner of two main streets. In our Dallas history I have found that prominent corners were often used by speakers to make public announcements. Also, whey does Colorado have a Boulder, and Arkansas only has a Little Rock? Is it because rocks that roll down the Rockies are bigger than rocks that roll down the Ozarks? Now and ThenWhat consistently strikes me about the "now vs. then" picture comparisons is that the present day views are devoid of pedestrians and therefore feel without character - lifeless, even (another example here). I'd much rather visit the "then" places than the "now." Maybe I'd see Minnesota Fats sauntering out of one of those pool halls with a pocket full of sucker bucks. Waiting Outside the Pool HallThe woman in front of the pool hall with her hand on her hip could be aggravated because her husband is loitering in the pool hall. But, again, she could be positioned in a great place to attract some customers. You never know. Men were men and women were women back in those days too. Dark armsAbout those crossarms on the power poles: they're all black, or heavily coated in creosote. [Those are telephone lines on what look to be metal crossarms. - Dave] Pool HallI bet the woman standing on the corner in the hat and full length frock THOROUGHLY disapproves of the Pool Hall! In fact she's probably telling those guys next to her exactly where they'll be going if they go in there. Some of it remains, but not muchThe large white building to the left (The Boyle Building) still stands, while (unfortunatly) the domed Masonic Temple to the right burned in 1919. View Larger Map More pics and stories from the site of this photo Ya got trouble!Friends, lemme tell you what I mean. Ya got one, two, three, four, five, six pockets in a table. Pockets that mark the diff'rence Between a gentlemen and a bum, With a capital "B," And that rhymes with "P" and that stands for pool! Gotta love Professor Harold Hill! [He's especially loved today. - Dave] Little Rock's first skycraperThe white building on the left is the 12 story Boyle Building. It was built in 1909. I believe the pic was taken closer to an area midway between 7th and 8th street. The building with the dome on the right is no longer there and I don't remember it from the 40's or 50's. LocalThis is the same view I see from the front door of our office, the AR DHS building. I don't recognize a lick of this. Don' step in the ...I'm glad to live in a time and place where horse droppings in the middle of the street would be considered an oddity. Smoking and Playing PoolImagine a place to play pool and smoke too. My how times have changed. Bracy HardwareThanks for this photo! On the right side of the street is the E.D. Bracy Hardware Store. It was named for Eugene Daniel Bracy (b. Dec. 7, 1876). His brother, William Frederick Bracy (b. May 17, 1870; d. Nov. 13, 1934), also worked at this store and was married to my great-aunt Frankie Newton (b. Sept. 11, 1877; d. June 9, 1944). I've only seen, prior to this photo, only fuzzy postcard views of the street and buildings, so this is quite the treat! Three legged horseIn the lower right just next to Hollenburg Music is a wagon or cart being drawn by a horse with three legs. And The cart has no wheels, just these strange bow-shaped objects beneath it. Now I KNOW that movement blurs things in long exposures, but would it distort the straight spokes of a wagon wheel and remove a horses leg? (That wagon must have been moving at quite a clip!) [The fourth, invisible, leg is the one that didn't stop moving during the exposure. The curved-spokes artifact is seen in many of these images, including the one below. The spokes are revolving around an axis that's moving linearly. You can approximate the effect by loosely holding a pencil at its center and waving it up and down so it looks "rubbery." - Dave] +105Below is the same view from July of 2015. (The Gallery, DPC, Little Rock, Streetcars)
Branding: 1939
... We used to drive through, or near, Dumas on our way to Colorado from East Texas - usually inspiring a rousing rendition late at night. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/15/2008 - 10:18pm -

September 1939. "Hamburger stand with old cattle brands. Dumas, Texas." 35mm negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Swastika BrandI'll bet that swastika brand over the door disappeared fairly soon after this photograph was taken. Cola SignsI count five Coca-Cola signs vs. three Royal Crown signs. Coke wins, at least for these two sides of the building. Do you think one of the other sides has a Golden Arches brand? Give me a signThe bent cross/sun/good luck symbol (swastika) was used by Arizona on highway route markers well past World War 2. Check out the 1948 shield. Before National Socialists hijacked this symbol, it was used by many cultures and societies, including Native Americans. Drive-throughThat's the earliest drive-through I've ever seen. In-and-Out Burger says they built the first drive-through restaurant in 1948. Isn't there a sixth Coca-Cola ad on the strut/handle across the screen door? SwastikaThe swastika was a good luck sign in both Indo-Asian and North Amnerican Indian cultures long before the Nazis perverted it. In those cultures, it was usually rendered reversed from the Nazi presentation. It is still considered a "good luck charm' by some Asians which startles Westerners who encounter it. Them's Good BurgersI'm getting hungry just thinking about how good those burgers must've been. It being Texas, it's a safe bet to say the beef was fresh. RC ColaIn Dumas, Texas...TRUST ME...RC Cola sells better. As someone once told me in NYC---"RC Cola? That's what hillbillies drink!". I took offense at that as I dumped a nickel pack of Planter's Peanuts into my RC. BrandsIt's amazing how many ancient cultures used the swastika. Since this was taken in Texas, I'm guessing it was associated with either the Navajo or Hopi indians of that area. SodaAn excerpt from Texas writer Larry McMurtry's "Walter Benjamin in the Dairy Queen": In the summer of 1980, in the Archer City Dairy Queen, while nursing a lime Dr Pepper (a delicacy strictly local, unheard of even in the next Dairy Queen down the road Olneys, eighteen miles south but easily obtainable by anyone willing to buy a lime and a Dr Pepper), I opened a book called Illuminations and read Walter Benjamin's essay The Storytellers, nominally a study of or reflection on the stories of Nikolai Leskov, but really (I came to feel, after several rereadings) an examination, and a profound one, of the growing obsolescence of what might be called practical memory and the consequent diminution of the power of oral narrative in our twentieth century lives. How beautifully phrased, especially the bit about the lime Dr Pepper, and the passage introduces a discussion of the issues that make Shorpy images so powerful. Drive-ToThat doesn't look like a drive-in or drive-through. That car is parked next to it - probably the owner's. If it was a drive-through lane, there'd be tire tracks worn through the weeds. The little window in front with the small shelf is for walk-ups. Or at least that's how every Dairy Queen and walk-up food place I've ever been to works. "Ding Dong Daddy......From Dumas" was a song my father (who was not from Dumas) used to hum and sing when he was driving. We used to drive through, or near, Dumas on our way to Colorado from East Texas - usually inspiring a rousing rendition late at night. RE: Texas cola wars...Dublin, Texas is the only place you can still get original recipe Dr Pepper (a Texas drink) made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. Good stuff. 10, 2, and 4. Uurrp. Goober Pea BrandsThere are some clever brands up there. The 'Bar' BQ and the 7UP brands caught my eye. Once upon a time I wanted a $ sign brand to put on my cattle. My old boss grew up in the Texas Panhandle in the 30s and 40s. He said as a kid you always bought RC Cola because you got two more ounces for the same money as Coke. Indian ThunderbirdThat brand that looks like a swastika is a Native American symbol representing the thunderbird. The 45th Division of the US Army in Oklahoma had that design on its shoulder patch. When WW II started, they changed the design to look like a stylized bird because they did not want it to be confused with Hitler's swastika. Dumas, TexasI was born and raised in Dumas and I can't for the life of me identify the location of this building. I wished I could so that I could walk around it and relive these simpler times. I am guessing that it was on Main street. There wasn't much here back then and the center of town consisted of the courthouse and some businesses and a few hotels. [Below: More from Dumas. - Dave] Spirit of '76I was a high school freshman in 1976, and I wrote the date on every school paper with a single-stroke "76" like the one to the left of the swastika. I hadn't thought of that in thirty years...until I just looked at this photo. Great stuffI broke a fan belt in Dumas in 1974. I stumbled into a local service station and got it fixed quickly and was on my way. Everyone was really friendly and they didn't try to rip me off. I have that great memory of Dumas. Mystery solvedI am from Dumas and I was curious as to the location of this hamburger stand. I asked the old timers and got no results for a couple of years of inquiries. Finally, I showed the picture to a friend of mine whose father has always lived here. He went to the rest home where his father, Jim Ed, lived and showed it to him. Old Jim Ed remembered the place, couldn't remember who owned it but his younger brother used to work there. It was located at 9th and south Main on the west side of the street. The building pictured is still there but the structure is the back portion of an operating restaurant called "Nana's". It has been quite the mystery. (The Gallery, Eateries & Bars, Russell Lee)
Pike's Peaker: 1900
Colorado circa 1900. "A Pike's Peak prospector." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/05/2012 - 3:12pm -

Colorado circa 1900. "A Pike's Peak prospector." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. EquipmentNote the hand-drill steel, "single jack" and "double jack" hammers ... wonder if this is at Cripple Creek? Funny that the stove is outside. A coot's best friend.He has a dog. I just love that he has a dog. Cooking alfrescoEver cooked indoors on a wood stove in a windowless cabin in the middle of summer? That's why many old homes had "summer kitchens." It was hot enough in a cabin without having a stove going full blast. Percolator, mosquito net, dogAll the comforts of home! A Little ReflectionThat shiny jug by the stove features a rare find --- a reflection of the photographer, William Henry Jackson, standing by his tripod-secured camera. Oh lardy, lardyCottolene and the Mysterious Disappearance of Lard By Dr. Alice Ross Muffin Pan Man!I bet he could whip up some tasty grub. Mudhooks is on the moneyIf you look at Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs from this period, you'll find that in addition to wood- and coal-fired ranges they carried a line of gasoline- or kerosene-powered stoves, with such names as "Summer Queen." Watch out! Yer gonna git bow-legged carryin' all them tools -- oops, too late. Beautiful stoveThat stove would cost a fortune to buy in a good condition. Beautiful handwork. Our miner friend looks as though he may have been gotten hold of some "Rocky Mountain High." I like his little stove.That little woodstove was surely made of cast iron. I wonder how it was delivered to his cabin, because it would have been a heavy piece of freight. Did he bring it on a pack horse or mule, or were the roads good enough that a wagon made the trip to his little cabin? An ash tray sat below the grate on which the wood rested inside the stove. Ashes sifted down into the pan and larger coals stayed in the stove. The ash tray and its contents could be removed through the small side door on the stove. This made ash removal much easier. But you knew all that already, didn't you? Some Assembly RequiredThose cast iron stoves did not need to be delivered assembled. Since we don't know what is behind us when looking at this photo let's assume it came in on mule. A mule could carry 100-250 pounds. So if you leave the fire box as one load and the legs/doors/etc as another two mule loads would do the trick. What always amazes me in old cabins is the use of wood to stabilize the chimney. Or heck - even those old wooden chimneys. (The Gallery, DPC, Mining, W.H. Jackson)
Skillet Cornbread: 1935
... and always cut in pie shaped wedges. Whereas I grew up in Colorado and California where homemade was the norm, my husband grew up here in ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/29/2015 - 12:37pm -

October 1935. "Making cornbread with relief flour. Shenandoah National Park, Virginia." Medium format negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size. Still make it that wayWhile I am too young to have been in the Great Depression, but not young enough to call the recent recession the Great Recession having seen others, I did grow up in the lower economic class and remember Brown (pinto) Beans wth Ham hock and cornbread cooked in the oven on a hot Lodge cast iron pan. I still make cornbread from scratch in my own well seasoned Lodge cast iron pan in the oven. It never lasts past the second day, and always cut in pie shaped wedges. Whereas I grew up in Colorado and California where homemade was the norm, my husband grew up here in the Pacific Northwest and never had it from scratch before. Now he will not touch boxed varieties and I have now become very well versed in the different mills for both my flour and my cornmeal. Never though have I liked it mixed with milk, I am the oddball in my family I suppose Reminded me too much of mush. Where are the pintos?Having spent a few years in the Dust Bowl, I know for sure that almost all the natives around here survived the Depression and other lean times with dried pinto beans and cornbread and they never stop lovin' this staple. With a chunk of fatback or ham hocks and a chopped onion thrown in for flavor and cooking the beans almost all day, it does make a savory and filling delicious hot meal with a tantalizing aroma. If visitors were expected, they would just throw in another cup of water or two while cooking the beans. Even if and when their families became affluent, they still consider beans and cornbread a most satisfying comfort food, similar to red beans and rice in N'Orleans and it is often on the menu in restaurants. Black, slick, and seasoned so well, they are now non-stick. Great grandma's cookware still sees regular action in our Ozarks kitchen on old Route 66. "Cast iron skillets..." says my wife (a "chef-caliber" cook), are the ONLY ones to use for "...cornbread, apple pie and Southern fried chicken." And, having had those mouth-watering dishes cooked in everything from teflon to aluminum foil, I...whole-heartedly...agree. Best poor folks food everAgreed on beans and cornbread. Always on the restaurant menus around here too, the only question is brown beans (pinto beans) or white beans (navy beans). A small local place changes that for their special a couple of times a week. The older people will crumble up the corn bread in the beans, most younger people don't. You can choose to have raw onions on the side, that is about a 50/50 choice. My First TimeBeing married to a southern gal, I got my first taste of this delicious meal (Ham Hocks and all) when my Mother-In-Law cooked it for us right after we were first married. Like 'Oliver' I asked for more. P.S. She even used a family cast iron skillet that we still had up until recently. Yum! Corn bread...yumAs a tween I rode the GM&O Gulf Coast Rebel from St. Louis, MO to Waynesboro, MS to stay a couple of weeks with my grandpa and aunt for a couple of weeks. Home-made cornbread and black-eyed peas were a staple. Over sixty years later I wonder where to get that cornbread - the stuff sold over the counter just doesn't satisfy. Cornbread & ButtermilkMy granddaddy (b. 1898 in west Texas) would crumble day-old cornbread in a tall glass of buttermilk for breakfast. His mix was 50/50 with the consistency of oatmeal. When the grandkids were at the breakfast table we were allowed to crumble our cornbread in "sweet milk". I never heard - or maybe just don't remember - if my grandfather referred to this concoction by name; I only remember him call it"cornbread and buttermilk". As a consequence of this delicacy there was rarely any two-day-old cornbread in the kitchen. I can still remember the big black skillet left on the counter on a wire trivet with a clear Corning glass lid from a long-broken casserole dish covering the pan. If the crust overlapped the skillet rim, my grandmother would trim it away with a sharp knife (there were never any other kind in her kitchen) so the glass lid would fit snugly. Those crusty trimmings always went into granddaddy's buttermilk. GE percolator coffeepot gurgling and hissing - the trinkle of a long-handled iced tea spoon stirring the cornbread in the tall glass - cue the rooster. Goober Pea Relief or notI'll bet it tasted good! My father and grandfather would have put it in a glass of buttermilk (ugh!). Wow!The best part about this photo is the comments it inspired! Thanks sharing all of the family lore. Cornbread vs. JohnnycakeA friend with southern family roots told me that "real" cornbread should not contain any sugar. He stated that if it contains sugar, it's a "johnnycake", rather than a true cornbread. Certainly the cornbread recipes printed right on the bag of any brand of cornmeal include sugar. This would imply that the producers of cornmeal have a different definition. Mouth watering commentsBeans, cornbread, buttermilk. I believe the comments in this thread are making me as hungry as our recent Thanksgiving spread. As an added treat my wife will cook a few cracklins into the cornbread. Brings back memoriesMy paternal grandmother cooked on a coal/wood stove not unlike this one (a bit more upscale, it was porcelain-ized and bigger). She always had a skillet of cornbread on hand. That would find its way into several meals each week, as did her white bread loaves. Great Northern beans were cooked up with buttermilk that made a thick, rich sauce. The cornbread was NOT light and sweet like the stuff you get served in restaurants today. It was dense, very coarse-textured, soft when freshly baked but dry and hard next-day. Pouring the ham and beans over it softened the squares and made a rich, tasty and filling meal that was only upstaged by the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy that was traditional Sunday fare. There was so much good food served in that farmhouse. Day old cornbread and milkMy dad loved breaking up day old cornbread into an ice tea glass then filling it up with milk with a good tablespoon of sugar then scooping it with a spoon like a sundae. He also liked white bread spread with mayo and sprinkled with sugar. He was born in 1922 in Louisiana. His mother, my grandmother, taught me that cornbread was baked in the oven in a skillet but corn pone was always cooked in a skillet on the stovetop. It was thinner and faster to make, stirring as it cooked. Irish soda breadMom always used to make it in an 8" cast iron skillet in the oven. With raisins and caraway seed. My son continues the tradition. The Delight on the LeftTechnically, is more like Johnnycake rather than Cornbread. Culture shockI was a kid from the upper mid-west stationed in the Air Force down in Louisiana in the early 1980s when I learned about "seasoned iron skillets." I ran my roommate's skillet through a commercial dishwasher and he wasn't too pleased. It's not history till you forget itMy mom cooked on a stove much like that (a Kalamazoo) and made enough pan bread to feed an army. I now have her cast iron pans and still make lard grease corn bread when I'm feeling nostalgic. Sadly that's about the only use I get out of those old pans. Southern vs. northern cornbreadIn the South, cornbread is generally made with white field corn and is not sweetened--but of course the tea is. In the North, it's generally made with yellow field corn and is sweetened--but the tea generally is not. Regional thing, really. I'm a Yankee who prefers southern cornbread and unsweetened tea. I'm pretty sure that at least four of the iron skillets I own were used by my grandmother when she was a little girl during WWI. If you ruin the seasoning, you put it on a hot bed of coals to remove the old and start anew. I've reconditioned my skillets several times this way. Love those old skillets, but cringe at that stove. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Kitchens etc.)
Million Dollar Highway: 1940
... Highway is cut through massive rocks in Ouray County, Colorado." U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray. Now a paved modern highway, ... We lived in Pagosa Springs at the time, and I am a Colorado native, so mountain roads were nothing new to me. But this one was ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/23/2008 - 9:39am -

October 1940. "Million Dollar Highway is cut through massive rocks in Ouray County, Colorado." U.S. 550 between Silverton and Ouray. Now a paved modern highway, this is a spectacular mountain route that I've driven many times over the years. View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee. Ouray ActivitiesThe creek you see at the bottom of the photo flows into Ouray and is diverted through perforated pipes set along the canyon rim in the winter. The sheets of ice formed by the water trickling over the rocks create a perfect ice climbing venue, with competitions every January and February. The creek flows into the Uncompaghre River (Native American name meaning "no cell service"). The hot springs in town are a great way to take the chill off your bones after a day on the ice. [My favorite summer activity: Jeeping the Alpine Loop and exploring the ghost towns along the way. Especially Animas Forks. The Western Hotel in Ouray is a good place to stay. Or the Beaumont if you want fancy. - Dave] Red Mountain Pass If I am not mistaken this section of road climbs over Red Mountain Pass. A few years back I rode my bicycle over this pass, with 750 other riders,on the way to Durango. While it is now a "modern paved highway" it still has no guardrails as they would be an impairment to clearing the many feet of snow they get each year. The drop off right next to the edge of the road(first on the right side then the left) made some want to hug the center line, but the car traffic was not conducive to this. The night before we left for the ride a shop owner in Ouray gave bikers this advice. "For the first 12 miles lean left. For the next 12 miles lean right." Bus ride anyone?This is truly one of the greatest last frontier drives ever. We used to drive up from New Mexico to play basketball with Ouray and Silverton. This road made bus trips very interesting. Great photo. HistoryThe Million Dollar Highway got its start in the 1880s as a 12-mile toll road between Ironton and Ouray, a remarkable feat considering it was before the age of the internal combustion engine and done by men with picks and shovels, working in snow and very low temperatures. Drive thru in the winter to appreciate. I've jeeped this area extensively... see pics at www.fotki.com/tbill and www.fotki.com/tbilmelms 550I remember riding over this highway during WW2 when I was a very small child. It wasn't paved yet and was just barely passable for two vehicles going in opposite directions. The driver always had to honk when approaching a blind curve, and the car on the outside had to move over and stop for the inside vehicle. I was terrified and spent much of the trip huddled down in the back seat with my eyes closed. We lived in Pagosa Springs at the time, and I am a Colorado native, so mountain roads were nothing new to me. But this one was the worst. I was between 3 and 4 at the time. Eek!I have driven this during the summer and even then I wanted to hug the centerline. I can't imagine driving this during the winter. Golden RuleWhen I was a kid in the 40's, we were taught that the name for the Million Dollar Highway comes from the value of the ore-bearing fill that was used to construct it. As kids, we would gather mill tailings from the road sides in the mountains and take them home to extract gold by crushing and panning. We would alway get a few flakes of gold. I'm sure that there are few or none of these piles of tailings left because the price of gold now makes it profitable to use the very low grade ore. (The Gallery, On the Road, Russell Lee)
Here Come the Girls: 1953
... of Bali is a 1932 documentary directed and filmed by Colorado native Deane H. Dickason. The only reason an old social anthropology ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 01/13/2014 - 2:41pm -

Dec. 29, 1953. "New York City views. Times Square at night." Let's meet at the Brass Rail. 4x5 acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size. Give my regards to BroadwayTo be more specific, it's Father Duffy Square, the north triangle of Times Square. Now home to TKTS and a statue of George M Cohan. Mr. PeanutI don't spy the person so costumed who used to stroll around in front of the Planter's store, but below the Pepsi sign is Castro Convertibles' neon. That firm had become a public nuisance by the early '60s, their radio jingle ("Who was the first to conquer space?") being a tune that, once stuck in the mind, abides until senescence. I still sing it in the shower every now and again. This view, which predates both Times Square's descent into Sodom and its more recent Disneyfication, shows a place of honest, if slightly tawdry, popular entertainment. A steak, a couple of shots of Four Roses, a movie and vaudeville's last gasp at the Palace, and then, if all goes well, a $4 room at the Taft. Here comes the bus.I have such a warm feeling when I see that GM bus. That was the bus in Springfield, MA that picked up the high school kids. In the winter, it was so nice to see it coming down the street. The StarsBob Hope, Tony Martin, Arlene Dahl and Rosemary Clooney. And I didn't even have to Google it. Old coots rule. +56Below is the same view from May of 2009. Poor Mr. Peanut One of my first memories is of some college boys grabbing a person wearing a metal Mr. Peanut costume who was in front of a store and rolling him down the sidewalk to the bottom of the hill. The poor Mr. Peanut slowly got to his feet after this experience and was staggering around so much that the college boys ran down the hill to keep him from stepping into traffic. This was about 1955, I guess, and the Mr. Peanut person was lucky that Tallahassee didn't have very high hills. Times Square memoriesI spent some time here in the mid-'60s while in the military. Made a few trips to the Brass Rail and saw Gene Krupa playing drums in a little bar on Times Square (must have been toward the end of his career). It had not been too long since the Cuban Missile Crisis and as a kid from the sticks, after seeing the Castro Convertible sign, wondered why Fidel was allowed to sell cars in NYC. Ralph KramdenSeated behind the wheel of the "Old Look" General Motors bus. Castro ConvertibleWho was the first to conquer space? It’s incontrovertible, The the first to conquer living space Is the Castro Convertible! Who conquers space with fine design? Who saves you money all the time? Who’s tops in the convertible line? Castro Convertible! I could climb into this picture, so well do I remember the remnants of this from the late sixties before it sank into decrepitude. There is something innocent yet tawdry about this photo. No business like show businessIt was a bit of a surprise at first to see the vaudeville pitch on the Palace marquee. My thought was that vaudeville had gone the way of the dinosaur long before the sophisticated early/mid fifties. Then I remembered that several hit television shows from that period were nothing more than warmed over vaudeville, so there must have still been a market for it. Texaco Star Theater with Milton Berle, The Jimmy Durante Show, The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and Your Show of Shows all come to mind. Note the sign under the Marquee: "Only Stage and Screen Show on Broadway." No. 8 bus, 7th Avenue LineThrough the windshield, look closely -- it's Ralph Kramden. How I First Saw ItWhen I was nine, my grandmother married a retired NYC cop. His last job before retiring was escorting Manhattan merchants to the bank with their daily receipts. It seemed like everyone on the island knew and loved him. Their wedding reception was at Mamma Leone's, we met the man himself at Dempsey's, had comps at Radio City Music Hall. The Brass Rail was just one place where I heard a variation of "Put your wallet away, Mac. Your money's no good here." 2761Is that Ralph Kramden behind the wheel of Gotham Bus Company coach 2761? The ConvertiblesUnlike today, the only foreign (and that's a stretch) neon sign that I can spot is the Canadian Club behemoth that brags about it being imported. Castro Convertibles were not automobiles but sofa beds. Early TV commercials shows a child, a young girl, pulling the bed out of the couch. She was Mr Castro's 6 year old Daughter, Bernadette, later the Parks Commissioner of New York State. Bernard Castro, her father, was credited as being the inventor of the modern sofa bed. Held OverAs a young Brooklyn boy in 1953 I remember this version of Times Square well. At the Embassy I wouldn't know a thing about the sensational "Virgins of Bali," but "Indo-China Aflame" caught my eye, as it was still burning when I got there 15 years later as a young Marine when the place was known as Vietnam. HoneymoonersI'm absolutely sure that's Ralph Kramden driving the bus. This picture is worth1000 pages, not 1000 words. Looking at what is here and going on in this one you could write a novel and never leave the block. Amazing. 4x5 cameras rule! GMTATo all those who shared my Ralph Kramden observation: All Great Minds Think Alike! Virgins of BaliVirgins of Bali is a 1932 documentary directed and filmed by Colorado native Deane H. Dickason. The only reason an old social anthropology movie was being screened in 1953 Times Square was because the two main characters, the "firmly and harmoniously developed" sisters Grio and Tagel, appear in unabashed comfort while being filmed in their traditional topless Balinese dress. A few links: Virgins of Bali page at the American Film Institute. First 7 minutes of the film at YouTube. Indelible memoriesI believe the last part of the human brain to die is where ever jingles are stored. It's been 45 years since I lived near NYC but I could still sing the jingles for Castro Convertibles, Palisades Amusement Park, Man-o-Manischewitz kosher wine, and "It pays to save at the Bowery...". Regarding the photo, classic GM coach! The Public Service ran about a million of them in north Jersey, each with a miniature cash register type machine that spit out a small fare receipt. StatuesIn the 1954 photo, the statue of Father Francis Duffy of the "Fighting 69th" is seen in front of the Pepsi Cola sign (partly obscured by the traffic light in the foreground). Father Duffy was so highly thought of by both the soldiers of his regiment those higher in the chain of command that his divisional commander, Douglas MacArthur, once recommended him for the post of regimental commander. The Duffy statue was erected in 1937, five years after the priest's death. In 1957 a second statue was erected in the square, forward of the Duffy statue. This is the statue of George M. Cohan which is the only statue visible in the 2009 photo. Vaudeville And The MoviesWhile I never caught the show at the RKO Palace I did catch shows in my hometown of Baltimore at the Hippodrome up until about 1950 or so. One of the first shows I remember seeing was Glenn Miller's Band under the direction of Tex Beneke plus the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands. Mom was a fan of big bands as I am still to this day. For some reason I also remember the comedian Herb Shiner and the silly Harmonicats. Once I even got on stage when a rolling skate act ask for volunteers from the audience and I and three other kids became part of the act for about 5 minutes. All the above were fine but for a youngster of the 40's the all time favorites I saw were Abbott & Costello and on another day The Three Stooges. 'Twas a fine time to be eight years old. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, Gottscho-Schleisner, Movies, NYC)
Married Life: 1904
... song, but wouldn't it be nice if this was where they built Colorado Boulevard? Oh, the memories I wss married to an ass for many ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:57pm -

Circa 1904. "We are on our way home." Detroit Publishing. View full size. You've Come A Long Way, BabyThis scene reminds me of the old Virginia Slims television commercials that depicted the hard-working but disobedient woman sneaking off for a smoke, only to be caught by her disapproving husband. This was followed by a cut to the present day (1960s) when a fashionable modern woman could smoke with impunity while groovy '60s music played. Reverse wheelbarrowTalk about back-assward. Very funny!Early photographic humor at the expense of the poor mule. Or is it a joke about women? I dunno! You be the judge! California cluesEucalyptus trees, a cask with a South Pasadena stamp, typical foothill vegetation (dry), and a burro who patiently poses for the "zany" photo shot. Going to hazard a guess this is Southern California. We were a strange lot even back then. Donkey SerenadeDare I say it, but that poor woman's husband is an ass! Nobody MeanerI doubt this was the inspiration for the Jan and Dean song, but wouldn't it be nice if this was where they built Colorado Boulevard? Oh, the memoriesI wss married to an ass for many years. But not as good looking as the one in the photo. Mail Order BrideThe new husband is proud at his purchase, while the Bride is thinking "$h!t, I should have stayed in Baltimore." Her sleeves are rolled up!Oh, the scandal! First Smart CarThis could be the prototype of the very first Smart Car. Small engine, uses little fuel, room for one or two passengers. Although, at this time, I think it was called Smart Cart. Same Donkeyas in the Eeyore Express picture. Cart isn't going anywhere since it's sitting on it's front "legs." Mother of Invention?She's created the first -- and I'm certain, only -- wheel burro. (The Gallery, DPC, Horses)
Looking Down: 1905
... on the poles. I worked in a coal mine for a while in Colorado, which was on a steep slope and had a similar inclined track, but ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/29/2012 - 1:32pm -

Dutchess County, New York, circa 1905. "Mount Beacon Incline Railway, looking down, Fishkill-on-the-Hudson." 8x10 inch glass negative. View full size. Max Elev.Immediately brought to mind "High Tor" by Maxwell Anderson. Signal wiresI noted the left pair of wires suspended under the brackets on the poles. I worked in a coal mine for a while in Colorado, which was on a steep slope and had a similar inclined track, but underground. The "conductor," if you will, had a long wooden stick with a metal bar mounted across one end. He could signal the hoist operator on the surface from any point in the incline by basically shorting out the two wires above us, which rang a large gong signal in the hoistman's cab. Basic signals were one bell to stop, two to go up, three bells to go down. [Or would he be closing the circuit rather than shorting it. - Dave] Dave: You are correct ...... Get your lean on!Look how far forward that fellow in the front is leaning. Really puts the grade of incline in perspective. The OtisThe two towns below were Matteawn and Fishkill Landing, incorporated into the city of Beacon in 1913. This was one of two great "Otis Inclines" built in the Hudson Valley by the elevator maker. The other served the Catskill Mountain House from the Palenville rail connection to the steamboat landing at Catskill. Great place to hikeThe incline railroad was active from 1902 to 1978. The land is now preserved as Mount Beacon Park. Hikers up for a strenuous workout can climb a staircase and then huff and puff up an eroded woods road to the top. There is talk about rebuilding the railroad. For now, only the shell of the powerhouse remains. Great views are still available from the top: Acrophobics AnonymousAnyone have their number? Gone but not forgotten.Seems to have been completely destroyed by a fire in 1983 but there is interest in it still. http://www.inclinerailway.org/index.html The Secret Of Its SuccessThis railroad was a hit with its passengers because they were so inclined. Take a ride down Memory LaneIn this video clip. Name ChangeThe former Fishkill-on-the-Hudson is Now Beacon. There is still a Fishkill, but it's a mile or so to the east. PriviesLove the outhouses! I think I'm spotting a trendI'm amazed at the popularity of incline railways at the turn of the 20th Century. Growing up in Southern California, we always heard about the long-dismantled Angel's Flight, and I just assumed it was unique. Certainly there, or in Cincinnati, it served a practical need, but I find it striking the number that were constructed for pleasure purposes, as this one clearly was. Hard to imagine such a capital investment today. From across the riverI was born and raised in Newburgh, just across the river from Beacon, and recall as a kid, hiking up Mount Beacon at least twice. Those excursions involved a bus ride from my house down to the ferry terminal, the ferry ride over to Beacon, and a long walk up through Beacon to the cog railway terminus at the foot of the hill, and then trudging up the mountain to the top. A long journey, but well worth every step! I am illuminatedDon't miss rjc's video clip below. That answered some questions for me. I was looking for the second track and had forgotten how that could work with a counterbalance car. Also, check out the guy following the car down the mountain. It looks like he is riding a device that lets him coast down the hill on either one rail or the outside wooden one. I can't tell which one he is on. (The Gallery, DPC, Railroads)
Memphis: 1906
... to fame was his exploration of the canyon lands of the Colorado River, in the four corners region. (There are books with photos--look ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/14/2012 - 11:36am -

Memphis, Tennessee, circa 1906. "Mississippi River levee from the bluff." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size. Snagboat historyAll U.S. snagboats are based on the Heliopolis, built in 1837 by Henry M. Shreve. The largest crane currently operated by the COE is also named for Shreve. Corps of EngineersI love the fact that the Horatio Wright wheelhouse is topped by a wonderful model of the Army Corps of Engineers' famous castle insignia. All Snaggled UpI can't say about the others, but the four boats on the right look to be snag boats run by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The name of the boat on the far right, the John N. Macomb, tipped me off. I thought I was clever until I read US Snag Boat Wright on the paddle of the left-most in the group. Snag boats were used by the Corps for decades to remove debris from those river courses which were once important to interstate commerce. Lots of stuff on Google about them. If you're interested, the snagboat Montgomery http://montgomery.sam.usace.army.mil/about.html is an historical monument, and you can tour the old tub way down in Alabamy. By the way, the Macomb was named after Col. John N. Macomb. Macomb was a graduate of West Point, and apparently a member, like John C. Fremont, of the Corp of Topographical Engineers. His claim to fame was his exploration of the canyon lands of the Colorado River, in the four corners region. (There are books with photos--look it up.) He was also a Civil War balloonist and apparently served in the Mexican War, too. Quite a career. Horatio G. Wright was a general officer in the Corps of Engineers. I haven't found much about him. Maybe another reader can enlighten us. But it looks like the Corps like to name their boats after engineers in the Corps. Surprise. SnaggersThe heavy A-frames and tackle were used to remove snags, large trees that had washed down the river until one end grounded out. The trees would remain there, bobbing up and down in the current, thus often called "sawyers" after the motion of the sawyer at the top of a pit saw. (The guy down below eating sawdust was the "pitman", later replaced by a lever mechanism of the same name, yielding an automotive term still in use -- pitman arm.) Such a snag could tear the bottom out of a wooden boat, so needed to be removed by a snag boat as soon as possible. Note the C.O.E. castle logo atop the wheelhouse of the Horatio Wright. Elsewhere on Shorpy are Civil War Engineers with the same castle badge. There is a fiddle tune named "Mississippi Sawyer", named for the motion of the fiddler's elbow, "rockin the bow." The age of horse and steamIt is only by seeing these pictures that you realise how much the world continued to rely on horsepower and steam power to drive the economy for much of the first half of the 20th century. A fascinating picture full of life. BridgeThe Frisco Bridge seen in the background was built in 1892,at that time it was the only bridge across the Mississippi south of St. Louis, it is still in use today and has always been a railway bridge. Mark Twain's river mentorThe Horatio Wright was captained by none other than super-pilot Horace Bixby from Mark Twain's "Life on the Mississippi"! An interview with him was published in Waterways Journal in April 1910, just four years after this picture was taken: HOW MARK TWAIN GOT ON THE RIVER. Among those who are competent to give personal reminiscences of Mark Twain are Capt. Horace Ezza [sic] Bixby, probably knew the humorist earlier than anyone now living in St. Louis, and doubtless knew Clemens, the pilot, better than any other man now living. Capt. Bixby is pilot of the United States snagboat Wright at the age of 84 years. He resides with his son-in-law, Dr. Louis T. Pim, 5910 Etzel avenue. Capt. Bixby "learned" Clemens the river from St. Louis to New Orleans, and although they saw each other little since 1861, the captain cherishes his recollections fondly. In Memphis one time, he told a reporter that he wished Mark Twain were dead so he wouldn't be bothered in retailing reminiscences about him longer. He was annoyed when the remark was printed, but there is no record that Mark Twain ever heard of it, and if he had, it was just the sort of a whimsicality that he would have appreciated. But when Mark Twain hung on the brink of the beyond, a flood of recollections came to the captain, and looking out over the green lawns he saw the little dingy pilot house of the Paul Jones, with a lank young fellow standing in the doorway saying in that enduring drawl: "Say, will -- you -- teach -- me -- the river?" Snag BoatsExcellent view of two snag boats. Their duty was to remove snags (hazards to navigation, usually sunken logs) from the river. The split bow allowed them to get over the snag and then lift it out of the water with the A-frame crane. Wow!Wow, what a shot! My grandfather Henry Schmidt on my mom's side was an engineer on the Horatio Wright at this time. Mom was a year old or less when this was taken. Thank you! TintedHere's Detroit Publishing Company's 1906 colorized postcard from the same image. Port and Starboard.I notice that most of the two side-by-side funnels on paddle steamers shown throughout the Shorpy site have a J-shaped bracket at the top of each funnel with small pulleys at the outer end of the J with lanyards to the deck below so that illuminated coloured lanterns can be hoisted to the funnel tops at night. This would indicate whether the steamer in the distance is approaching or going away as seen from the pilot house on the steamer you were on. I presume the lanterns would be green for right/starboard and red for left/port side as per salt water rules. On the stern of the 'Transit' in the lock shown elsewhere at Shorpy, there are two small boxes with side doors at the stern above the paddle wheel which have stern lanterns within. Thank You. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Horses, Memphis)
Infinite West: 1941
September 1941. "Buena Vista, Colorado (vicinity). The Sawatch mountains." Medium format negative by Marion ... and Rio Grande Western Railroad from Pueblo to Dotsero, Colorado. Built to compete with the Union Pacific, it was downgraded after a ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/12/2015 - 9:48am -

September 1941. "Buena Vista, Colorado (vicinity). The Sawatch mountains." Medium format negative by Marion Post Wolcott. View full size. VistaSuch a view is why we need the word: "vista". Yet, even this vastness has been conquered three ways: the railroad tracks, the telegraph lines, and the barbed-wire fences on both sides on the rail line. What do you suppose was the photographer's vantage point -- a water tower, perhaps? [Her car window. - Dave] Western entropy: The posting by Shorpyite, "swaool", gives us today's view of this vista; showing the deterioration of the conquering elements: an abandoned rail line, vanished telegraph lines, and the infamous barbed wire fences, installed in such straight lines are gone or lost in the weeds. Even the vantage point, a highway bridge, is in an aged condition. But Nature survives. Vantage PointTo me it is quite easy to discern. The photo was taken from the right side forward looking window of a train engine. [Yes, if your locomotive is 40 feet tall and you are waaay above the top of the telephone poles. Below, an actual cab view. - Dave] IMHOThe vantage point can't be her car window unless her car window is higher than those power lines. [What a puzzler. Maybe she chartered a balloon. - Dave] lol. But I see that others have cleared it up by pointing out that she was on a bridge. I should have thought of that lol. BYOONA-vistaThat's how they pronounce it there -- "byoonie" for short. Through the Rockies, not around them This is the route of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad from Pueblo to Dotsero, Colorado. Built to compete with the Union Pacific, it was downgraded after a more direct route was built from Denver to Dotsero though the long Moffat Tunnel and on to Salt Lake City. Being duplicative and containing some significantly steep grades it has been out of service since 1997. Part of the line includes the scenic Royal Gorge, seen elsewhere on Shorpy. The SubI guess Jack Delano was somewhere else that day. SpellingWouldn't that be Wasatch? [Too bad you don't have the Internet. - Dave] Vantage PointShe was most likely on the US 24 highway overpass about a mile south of Buena Vista. The view is to the SSE, and the railroad is the former Denver and Rio Grande Western's original mainline via Tennessee Pass, no longer used by present owner Union Pacific. [The 1937 bridge Ms. Wolcott was on was scheduled for replacement in 2014, but is still in this Street View image from 2012. -tterrace] View Larger Map (The Gallery, Landscapes, M.P. Wolcott, Railroads)
Sunnyside Mill: 1940
September 1940. Eureka, Colorado. "The Sunnyside mill, now abandoned. There is still gold ore here but ... site of Eureka which led to An 'Oh Crap! moment' in Colorado mining history ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/07/2018 - 2:23pm -

September 1940. Eureka, Colorado. "The Sunnyside mill, now abandoned. There is still gold ore here but the best has been taken out and now the lower grades which are expensive to process do not attract the mine and mill operators." Acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. I guess that would explain the closureThanks for the history. Wonder what it sounded like? Mountain Mill only a MemoryOnly the stair-step foundation remains in this recent Google photo. FlotationThe mill structure used the flotation process for extraction. Gravity played an important role in the multi-step operation, thus the hillside construction. Changing timesBack in 1940, gold sold for $35 an ounce. If the mining company could mine and refine it for less, they did. If it cost more, they didn't. The production cost in 2018 is about $1250 an ounce. All that's left (aerial view)Photo via Google satellite. Where Shorpy leadsI was looking at the picture and wondering how the gold was processed when ManyBuicks mentioned the flotation method. Hmmm. Lookup gold and flotation leads to videos of small scale operations. Which leads to where did they get the water to run the mill. No visible pumps. Aha. They took water Lake Emma, above the site of Eureka which led to An 'Oh Crap! moment' in Colorado mining history http://coloradorestlessnative.blogspot.com/2014/03/an-oh-crap-moment-in-... (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Mining, Russell Lee)
Central City: 1942
... City, an old mining town. Mountainous region of Central Colorado, west of Denver." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm ... the Ida Kruse McFarlane Memorial. https://centralcity.colorado.gov/outdoors Class Dismissed No lurking mystery on the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/13/2022 - 10:47am -

May 1942. "Central City, an old mining town. Mountainous region of Central Colorado, west of Denver." Acetate negative by John Vachon for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. City Hall?Apparently what appears to be a modest two-family building has now been turned into the city hall, with a suitably large appendage on the right. WanderlustGoogle imagery has strongly inspired me to visit Central City someday. A bit of all rightDespite what was in all likelihood a hardscrabble life, involving grueling work in an all-but-overtly hostile environment, those are some nice houses -- especially the one with the matching witch-hat turrets. But I covet the unfinished abode on high ground, looking down on everyone else. And is that a church over there on the right, with the lovely gothic windows? Let us pray. [That structure up on the hill looks finished in more ways than one. - Dave] Dave so you think it's old rather than new? I briefly wondered about that but allowed myself to believe they were waiting for me to choose windows and doors and a granite package, plus hardwoods for the floors. Central City/Black HawkNow twin towns that are the proud environs of more than a few casinos, large and small. Been there many times in the last 20 years. The area is gorgeous. Lightning Rods Salesman WantedMy first thought about the hollowed out house sitting so high above the others was that it was likely the victim of a lightning strike and fire. When I was a kid, we lived in the highest old Victorian in our neighborhood. Lightning struck with a sound that made us think an atomic bomb might have hit. We didn't have a fire, but sparks rained down all sides of the house. Wherever electrical wires passed behind plaster under windows, curtains were singed & the bottoms fell as if cut by scissors. My grandfather's sons thought he was nuts for installing lightning rods on his house in 1950. Here's a house a couple of miles from me that got struck in 2016, for obvious reasons. [Indeed. - Dave] The house on the hill.More a memorial these days, to Ida Kruse McFarlane. Many of the buildings in the image are still around, today, you can see the roofline and cupola of the building next door: More about Ida, here: Ida Kruse McFarlane - Wikipedia How did you find it?The comment with photo showing the house in the foreground today ... how did you find it without an address? Amazing. Up on the hillThe building at the top of the hill was the "remains" of the Saint Aloysius Academy. You can see the outline of the foundation on the current satellite view. It is now the site of the Ida Kruse McFarlane Memorial. https://centralcity.colorado.gov/outdoors Class DismissedNo lurking mystery on the remains of the once vibrant St. Aloysius Academy atop Gunnell Hill in Central City. When it was built, the Sisters had the biggest school in town with room for nearly 200 students but those days had passed when the photo was taken. The foundation of the academy remains with a memorial cross in the same spot atop the hill, which was once reached with a lung aching climb up ten steep staircases from the city streets below. St. Aloysius.How interesting. My sister and I graduated from St. Aloysius Academy in Rome, N.Y. Like this one, it was closed years ago. In our case, the name was meant to honor a local 19th century priest, the Rev. Aloysius Murphy, pastor of St. Peter's church. When lightning rods fell from fashionI don't know how true this is, but I've heard that with the advent of indoor plumbing, the conventional wisdom said that you no longer needed a lightning rod, because you had a cast iron plumbing vent stack protruding from the roof, making a good conductor to ground. Then, decades later, when PVC or ABS replaced cast iron, people forgot they had ever used that reasoning. Google SleuthingSeaelf asked how I was able to find the location, and it's really just because Central City is crazy tiny. The old part of town only has a couple of streets, and this view is urban enough that it's not likely to be on the outskirts. Plus there's an obvious church on the right which helps focus in on possible locations. House huntingIn answer to seaelf's question, when you drive into Central City, the best parking lot is right where John Vachon was standing. You can't miss seeing that building. The street in the present view leads to Idaho Springs uphill to the left. Central City is indeed a fascinating place; as a photographer I've spent many happy hours there. (The Gallery, Frontier Life, John Vachon, Mining)
Stress Test: 1936
... Kansas My guess is this is far western Kansas, near the Colorado line. It might be a town like Ulysses, Johnson, Leoti or Tribune. ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/05/2009 - 1:45am -

May 1936. "Bank that failed. Kansas." Medium-format nitrate negative by Arthur Rothstein for the Resettlement Administration. View full size. Blazing SaddlesLooks more like a Mel Brooks movie set than a financial institution. Tom GuelkerThis looks like a bank that Dillinger might have assisted in closing, even with the horse hitch out front. [No to mention the infamous Tom Guelker. - Dave] It looks like . . .it never even had a chance. Looks mean nothingThe sleek and shiny, super-size behemoth Merrill Lynch Bank on Wall Street failed just last year and looked much more promising to millions of investors. Don't judge a book by its cover. No deposit.No returns. Great expectationsIt's interesting how often these buildings were designed and built in clear anticipation that something else would be built right next to them. It's clearly meant to be a corner block, with the rest of downtown spreading right off its wings. I'd love to know if it still stands today. Farm equipmentOff to the left there looks to be two threshers, a steam tractor, and some implements. I work at Case IH, a manufacturer of farm and construction equipment. I'll bet they're Case pieces. Thanks Dave! Long before 1929I'd say this bank, and the surrounding town, died long before the Depression. Many towns in Western Kansas boomed in the 1870's based on false expectations and advertising by speculators. When it turned out that most kinds of farming weren't really practical, the towns faded and died. Amost Identical DesignThat failed bank design is almost identical to a bank that failed in my very small Kansas town in 1936. It was vacant for years when an older couple bought it and turned it into their home. Then about 25 years ago it was sold to a man that turned it into a BBQ restaurant. It is very successful and has been highlighted as one of the 10 most unique restaurants in Kansas. It has the original charter and some bank papers hanging on the wall in a frame. Hitchin' postTie up your horse and come on in. In KansasAny idea where in Kansas this is? Also curious if the building is still around and what it's now used for. AnnouncementOur Drive-Up Window will be closed until further notice. Looks like western KansasMy guess is this is far western Kansas, near the Colorado line. It might be a town like Ulysses, Johnson, Leoti or Tribune. It's a shame there's not more to go on. Much east of there and you see at least a few trees of which this photo has none. Many of the old stationary threshers as pictured are still scattered around that country, to this day. They haven't served a purpose other than yard art since before WW2. Some machinery is too hard to part company with. [This photo is among dozens taken by Arthur Rothstein in Jefferson and Cherokee counties in eastern Kansas. - Dave] From Bank to RestaurantIn the early 80`s there was a restaurant north of Detroit located in a former bank. What impressed me was the salad bar, named "The Green Stuff," was in the vault. I beg to differ!Ummm. There is no Columbus County in Kansas. The city of Columbus, however, is in Cherokee County. [Oops. I meant Jefferson and Cherokee counties. - Dave] A lot of towns diedI lived in an area of Kansas where several small towns once existed. Now you'll be lucky to find the town name on a map. Some towns were completely wiped from the face of the earth. There are no remnants left to know that anything was there. Just open farm ground. Towns like Ray, Hopewell, Neola, Zook just to name a few. You have to wonder how much different the state would be if things had turned out the way these towns had hoped. (The Gallery, Arthur Rothstein, Great Depression)
The Scenic Route: 1941
... through the mountains from Idaho Springs to Central City, Colorado." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. ... could look down a long, long way to the bottom.The law in Colorado says that the person coming down has to give way to the person coming ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 02/14/2020 - 6:16pm -

September 1941. "Road through the mountains from Idaho Springs to Central City, Colorado." Photo by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Disclaimer"Professional driver on a closed course" - I don't think Lexus or Audi is going to be scouting this location for a slick ad, even with professional drivers. Oh, give me a brakeThis route has always been known to us locals as the "Oh-My-God Road." Maybe Virginia Canyon road?Street View hasn't made it there yet. That is a route... just made for motorcycles of the adventure sort. Twisties and swoops, beauty! Oh-My-God RoadAround 1950 our family took a trip to Denver to visit relatives and, while we were there, our uncle took us to Central City. He took Oh-My-God Road coming back and I don't think I have ever been on a road like that before or since. To say it was scary does not do it justice. A lot of it was one lane dirt road with a few pull-offs to allow oncoming traffic to pass. At some places you could look down a long, long way to the bottom.The law in Colorado says that the person coming down has to give way to the person coming up because the downhill driver has more control backing up. I don't remember that we met anyone coming up. We were sure glad to get off that road. Waiting IdlyI've waited patiently several days and am amazed no Shorpy auto sleuths as yet have identified the two autos in this image. Former rally driver hereI'd love to be set loose on this road. It looks quite well maintained. (The Gallery, Landscapes, M.P. Wolcott)
Ophir Station: 1940
September 1940. "Railway station at Ophir, Colorado, a small gold mining town. A narrow-gauge railway runs into the town ... Iconic view This is -the iconic photo- of -the iconic Colorado Narrow Gauge railroad-, the Rio Grande Southern. Lots of people have ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/04/2018 - 1:16pm -

September 1940. "Railway station at Ophir, Colorado, a small gold mining town. A narrow-gauge railway runs into the town with supplies and takes out the ore." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. There's a whole book on resident station agentsSee "Living in the Depot". According to family history, my grandfather was born in the station where his father worked. That structure still exists (Wimmers station, now in Hamlin, Pennsylvania), but I'm not sure there were living quarters above the station. Iconic viewThis is -the iconic photo- of -the iconic Colorado Narrow Gauge railroad-, the Rio Grande Southern. Lots of people have produced models of this scene. That's actually a mining tipple behind the station, it's a separate building. A FirstAs a former B&B carpenter on the Milwaukee Railroad, this is a first for me -- seeing curtains on a depot. Upstairs apparently living quarters for the station agent, another first. Gold from Ophir wasn't good enough for BachIn the epiphany cantata number 65,"Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen" (They will all come from Sheba), the bass sings "Gold aus Ophir ist zu schlecht" (Gold from Ophir is too bad, away with such vain gifts). Of course, this Ophir isn't the subject, but the original Biblical location that was the source of much of Solomon's wealth. Bach's librettist seems to believe the king that brought gold to the manger came from there. -T h a t-Old RR Joke: Railroad crossing, look out for the cars. How do you spell that without any R's? (The Gallery, Railroads, Russell Lee, Small Towns)
Mexican Central Railway: 1891
... Michigan. In 1949, Jackson's negatives were donated to the Colorado Historical Society, which kept the Western U.S. photos and gave the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 07/26/2012 - 4:53pm -

Jalisco, Mexico, circa 1891. "Bridge near Encarnacion. Ferrocarril Central Mexicano." Glass negative by William Henry Jackson. View full size. WowWhat an amazing engineering feat. Railroad bridge and a dam tooAnyone know of other examples of this kind of combo? Locomotive LevitationAmazing what could be done with sweat and steam power. The laws of physics haven't changed. Wow!Wow, awesome! Finally I see a picture of my country here in Shorpy! Kudos for that! How we got these W. H. Jackson photosWilliam Henry Jackson was somewhat better as a photographer than a businessman. After being his own entrepreneur, he signed onto the Detroit Publishing Company in 1897 as its president, and in the bargain the company got this and 10,000 other Jackson photos. After Detroit Publishing went under, Edsel Ford bought 40,000 negatives for Greenfield Village in Michigan. In 1949, Jackson's negatives were donated to the Colorado Historical Society, which kept the Western U.S. photos and gave the rest to the Library of Congress -- and ultimately to Shorpy and us. Thanks very much indeed! TrainvidSeems to be the same place. Re: Railroad bridge and a dam tooThe small city in Nebraska where I grew up had this sort of setup, with a high railroad trestle crossing the gorge below the dam. We used to walk halfway across the bridge and drop through the tracks onto the concrete support. There were iron bars running down the side, forming a ladder to the ground 50 or 60 feet below. We'd climb down and fool around in the river, oblivious to the risk of getting there. The dam was part of a hydroelectric plant that supplied power to our city. It was about 2 feet wide at the top, with a 3-story drop below the water. Sometimes we'd walk across the dam with water running over our feet to get to an island in the middle of the stream above the dam, carrying 2-foot corn knives and other tools to build a fort in the "jungle". It's a wonder we survived to adulthood! Same PlaceNo doubt they are the same place. It was common for early RR bridges to be anchored by earth later in their history as loads got heavier and train speeds faster. The bridge is still inside the berm. Train cars would travel over the trestle, dumping their loads of sand or gravel repeatedly until the span was filled. How many amazing vistas were spoiled by the cheapest and least creative engineering solution? Here's how it came to look like the video...http://www.geocities.com/bartemb06424/ARRrapalloFill.htm LocationI am currently working on a conceptual architecture project that is focused on reprogramming abandoned stations of the old passenger railway system in Mexico. Does anyone know if this bridge is still in existence or where I can find its exact location? The name of the river which it spans would also be helpful. (The Gallery, Boats & Bridges, DPC, Railroads, W.H. Jackson)
Ask Us About Our Poultry: 1942
... the chrome on his Peterbilt semi at a truck stop in Colorado. Geez, talk about a clash of cultures. Obviously chilly Those ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 03/09/2010 - 10:10am -

November 1942. Lititz, Pennsylvania. "Mennonite farmer and wife at the farmer's market." These folks look like they'd be only too happy to bend your ear about their birds. Photo by Marjory Collins, Office of War Information. View full size. Lots of Mennonite flavors.Mennonites come in lots of different flavors. "Old Mennonites" appear in dress and lifestyle about like the Amish. "New (moderate) Mennonites" aren't much different in either than a regular ol' Protestant is. This Mennonite couple appears to be rooted somewhere between the Mennonite extremes. Or perhaps they're a (gasp) mixed marriage? One of the funniest things I've ever seen was what appeared to be an Old Order Mennonite in his simple, conservative dress polishing the chrome on his Peterbilt semi at a truck stop in Colorado. Geez, talk about a clash of cultures. Obviously chillyThose birds have goosebumps. Not AmishHow to tell an Amish from a Mennonite? He's got buttons! Oddly, though, I can't say that I've ever seen an Amish or Mennonite person wearing a sweater. There is a large Mennonite and Amish population in my hometown, and it's always interesting to see where they give in modern conveniences. A few weeks ago, I saw a couple walking through WalMart. Among the things in their basket was a hose (can't make that at home, I suppose). One of the first people my friend sold a box of condoms to when she worked in a grocery store in high school was an (apparently liberal!) Amish man. And when I worked in retail, the women would often come in to purchase luggage and undergarments - I still remember selling a VERY flashy pink, sparkly, embroidered bra to one young Amish lady! I wonder how this couple would feel about all that! No Wings HereWhat a lovely looking couple. Love the Lennon specs! Lost ArtHow to pluck, singe, and dress a fresh chicken. I wonder what she has in those jars ? Cheap chickensI note the prices on those chickens... $1.58, $1.58, $1.98. Can't get a leg for that little, now. [Whole rotisserie chickens are $4 at my local grocery. (And they're quite delicious.) When you take inflation into account, a whole chicken now is much cheaper than any of these Mennonite chickens. - Dave] Yard BirdsBetween the Colonel and Hooters the only thing left over now days is the beak and the feet. She understands that more than one mennonite is being greedy. ScrawnyWow, those are some anemic-looking chickens. Sixty years of genetic selection and chemistry has given us much bigger birds. I'd like to do a taste-comparison with one of these. Size MattersNotice their size as compared to the hormone-fueled behemoths you find in grocery stores today. ["Hormones" aren't used to grow poultry, at least not in the United States. - Dave] Lititz Farmers MarketMy guess would be that this photo was taken at some version of the Farmers Market. Currently it is held every Saturday morning from May until October. Would not surprise me if descendants of these folks are still selling fresh chickens on Saturday mornings. Fark this!C'mon, Dave, ya gotta Fark this one! [News Flash: I have no influence over whether something gets Farked. That's up to the Fark people. - Dave] Not what you'd expectWe have a lot of Mennonite families locally. The area supermarkets' paperback sections stock Mennonite romance novels, complete with cover art of young, neatly capped, dewy-eyed heroines. Now, that's a sub-genre! Mennonite RomanceAmish and Mennonite romance novels are actually a huge literary subgenre. They generally fall under "inspirational romance," and lots of people read them, actually. (I work for a publisher.) They certainly are ... interesting. Last week at my library's annual used book sale the Amish/Mennonites were racking up on books! Among those that the man in front of us got was a very large "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader." A girl had a bio of Pope John Paul. Jam sealed with paraffin I would bet that those jars are filled with some kind of lovely jam or jelly, sealed with paraffin. I'd have loved to help her put up the jam, but I'm glad I didn't have to assist in the killing, plucking and cleaning of all those chickens! (The Gallery, Marjory Collins, Stores & Markets)
Sherman Avenue: 1908
Denver circa 1908. "Sherman Avenue and Colorado statehouse." 8x10 glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit ... of the front. +104 From about the same spot. The Colorado State House is actually two long blocks away, not as close as the 1908 ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/21/2012 - 8:37pm -

Denver circa 1908. "Sherman Avenue and Colorado statehouse." 8x10 glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Westward Ho!I enjoy checking out Shorpy on a daily basis, but seldom comment. So nice to see something from the West! Thanks! The University ClubThe building on the immediate right in the photo appears to still exist as the University Club, albeit with the modern addition covering much of the front. +104From about the same spot. The Colorado State House is actually two long blocks away, not as close as the 1908 photo makes it look. Central Presbyterian Church is still there on the left. View Larger Map Hasn't changed muchMy daughter lived right about where this shot was taken from about 10 years ago. What a wonderful view. +98Below is the same view (south from just above E. 17th Avenue) from June of 2006. I workedI worked at Human Services on 16th & Sherman St., a block away from the State House. It was in what's known as the old Farmer's Union Building on that corner. I worked there from 1976 - 1999 when I retired. Love seeing Sherman as it was about 70 years before I moved west from NYC. (The Gallery, DPC)
Galen Gough: 1923
... as GM's CEO. Obit for Galen Gough Try newspapers in Colorado Springs CO. That's where he's buried. Why I love Shorpy.com ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/11/2011 - 8:49pm -

October 5, 1923. Washington, D.C. The war hero and former invalid Galen Gough, known as the "Miracle Strong Man" after recovering from having his head caved in by bomb shrapnel in France. National Photo Co. glass negative. View full size. Ow.The last time I had my head caved in was at an LL Cool J concert. The Original JackassWashington Post, Oct 4, 1923 Will Be Run Over By Auto "Fun-Fest" Strong-Man to Show He Can Not be Injured Galen Gotch [sic], former marine and strong man who appears nightly at the Coliseum, claims that he can be run over by an automobile with five passengers in it without being hurt. To substantiate his claim he plans to submit himself to such a test tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 o'clock at the intersection of E street and Pennsylvania avenue northwest. Galen Gough, 1899-1962The Strange Saga of Galen Gough (PDF) ObituaryAnyone find an obituary for Galen Gough on Oct 6, 1923? '23 DurantThe car is a 1923 Durant, named after William C. Durant, founder of General Motors. Old-school strongmenThey weren't chiseled or cut, but they could pull off some sick feats of strength. BiographyThis guy was pretty cool! http://home.newwavecomm.net/westoaks/ggbio.html CrapoMr. Durant's middle name was Crapo, which is no doubt why he only used the letter C in his name. He introduced the Durant following his second and final ouster as GM's CEO. Obit for Galen GoughTry newspapers in Colorado Springs CO. That's where he's buried. Why I love Shorpy.comPhotos like this and the amazing stories about the people represented in them. Keep up the good work. (The Gallery, Cars, Trucks, Buses, D.C., Natl Photo, Sports)
Blind Curve: 1941
... on the west side of the Rocky Mountains from Leadville, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm ... was formerly the Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel of the late lamented Colorado Midland Railway, maintained for many years as a toll tunnel business ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/18/2020 - 3:42pm -

September 1941. "Road leading out of Carlton Tunnel along bed of old narrow gauge railroad on the west side of the Rocky Mountains from Leadville, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Lucy and Desi may have made this drive in "The Long, Long Trailer." Driver BewareThe views are to die for. Hell Gate!The Carlton Tunnel was formerly the Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel of the late lamented Colorado Midland Railway, maintained for many years as a toll tunnel business by the last owner of the railroad, A.E Carlton, a Cripple Creek banker. The tunnel itself would have been a couple of miles in the rear; this vista was known in railroad days as Hell Gate, although I have never seen what it looked like without rails. It was a very popular scene for advertising photos, and L.C. McClure and W.H. Jackson both photographed it. MPW must have been on her way to Aspen (still a mining town in those days). I never knew she passed this way. The river to the left is the Frying Pan. You can still drive this route, although the Carlton Tunnel is sealed, and the road diverges from the railbed and crosses the divide via an adjacent saddle. The Busk-Ivanhoe Tunnel replaces a much higher bore, which is still open, and the roadbed up to the east portal is now a nice hiking trail. Leadville memoryI was in Leadville a few years ago and saw an old photo in an antique shop of a buggy with two local women in it going up a steep road with only a foot or so of dirt separating them from a fall to eternity. This reminded me of that and made me shiver all over again. Look whereThis is one of those roads where my wife would be yelling "Look where you're driving, don't drive where you're looking" at me. (The Gallery, Landscapes, M.P. Wolcott, Railroads)
Ouray Bakery: 1940
September 1940. "Store buildings at Ouray, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security ... built this store in 1900 on the main street of Ouray, Colorado. It is still a family-owned grocery store with hours of 8 am to 6 pm, ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 09/30/2018 - 3:29pm -

September 1940. "Store buildings at Ouray, Colorado." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Better than newNow Duckett's Market: StudebakeryJudging by the dented fenders and broken taillight, it looks like this 1938 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup has led a rough life in the few years it's been on the road. Hip, Hip, Ouray!I'm sure that was the town's motto. Mesker Store FrontsWaymarking reports: Hammond & Waring Grocery/Schwend & Mostyn Produce built this store in 1900 on the main street of Ouray, Colorado. It is still a family-owned grocery store with hours of 8 am to 6 pm, Monday thru Saturday, year round. This structure is a Mesker Building. Mesker Brothers of St. Louis were a primary supplier of anything from building parts to complete structures around the 1900s. Building could come on the railroad trains cars and be quickly assembled. This is the time of great industrial development in America. We often think of the mass production of automobiles, but the same occurred in buildings - both commercial and residential. (The Gallery, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
Open House: 1936
... the same in store for the Oklahoma / West Kansas / Eastern Colorado / North Texas areas in the mid to late 30's, but was of shorter ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 08/18/2013 - 10:39am -

Circa 1936. "Dormered cabin. Georgetown County, South Carolina." This is the kind of place the real estate listings describe as having "character." 8x10 inch acetate negative by Frances Benjamin Johnston. View full size. Fixer-upperAround here (the Bay Area) this would be a "handyman's delight," listing for $600,000. Selling StrategiesSo many titles for the real estate listing: Nifty Fixer-Upper; "Open Concept," or Landscaper's Delight. Loads of yard just waiting for your own touch! I think I have been watching HGTV too much! EgadsThe door's always open, because, well, it's gone. Same As It Ever WasAnd you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack And you may find yourself in another part of the world And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife And you may ask yourself -- Well, how did I get here? Stop by any timeThe door is always open! Sold As IsIn the Midwest it reads, "Needs TLC". Need more firewood? Look under the porch. Flaky ManorI still see a little paint left on the front of the house. I wonder how old it was at the time and what it looked like when new. AmenitiesHas security system. (Visible in left dormer.) Ghost porchThe rotten gap in the fascia and the dark diagonal line just below explain the fact that there is any paint left at all. This porch was roofed until somewhat recently. I've never cared for the ersatz look and feel of aluminum or vinyl siding, but the photos of F.B. Johnston do explain the popularity of such products. Georgetown, SC in the Mid 20th CenturyThe home seen here was not unusual for the period from the 30's through the 60's. Most people were generally impoverished, but were happy. Note the picture here of my family members living in similar residence in Georgetown in a moment of playfulness https://www.shorpy.com/node/3668 I think the enormous poverty found throughout the south that resulted from the Civil War and finally came to an end in the late 60's has never really been documented or experienced by states above the Mason Dixon line. The south generally suffered 100 years of poverty as a result of the war. The stark contrast of photos from Washington DC north cataloged by Shorpy tells the story very clearly. Pictures are indeed worth a 1000 words. The average farm family in Indiana, or New Hampshire, or Iowa fared far better the his southern brethren. To be sure there were wealthy families in the south with large estates, but most of those fine estates all along the coasts of the south were bought by very wealthy families from the Northeast and used as winter estates. Very few native southerners managed to hang on to family properties or to any degree of wealth following the war. The Dust Bowl era held the same in store for the Oklahoma / West Kansas / Eastern Colorado / North Texas areas in the mid to late 30's, but was of shorter duration and is well documented. On the SquareSay what you like, but it was built well - it is more square than my deck, and my hallway ceiling. (The Gallery, F.B. Johnston)
Man of Steel: 1942
May 1942. "Denver, Colorado. Interior of a shipbuilding plant, showing workman who previously ... with prefabricated sections brought in from as far away as Colorado. Warships damaged in battle were also repaired and refitted in the ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 06/24/2015 - 11:48am -

May 1942. "Denver, Colorado. Interior of a shipbuilding plant, showing workman who previously assembled incubator parts and amusement park devices, now working on hulls and decks of escort vessels. He and his co-workers will be invited to Mare Island, 1,300 miles away, to help launch the ships they are building." 4x5 nitrate negative for the Office of War Information. View full size. Mare IslandDuring World War II Mare Island Naval Shipyard turned out scores of ships and submarines, assembling new destroyer escorts with prefabricated sections brought in from as far away as Colorado. Warships damaged in battle were also repaired and refitted in the base's drydocks. By the end of the war, Mare Island had produced 17 submarines, four submarine tenders, 31 destroyer escorts, 33 small craft and more than 300 landing craft. Am I Missing Something?First, that looks like a hell on earth place to work. Second, is that some sort of furnace or heater on the right? It looks to have a door for loading in coal or some sort of fuel. It has ducts coming from it ending in the work space but it doesn't seem to be the normal combustion chamber / heat exchanger arrangement. It doesn't have a chimney, it looks like all the combustion byproducts are vented into the work area. Not to mention all the tanks of explosive gases near by, some right next to the "heater". Grandad's blacksmith shopThat looks a lot like my grandad's blacksmith shop - where he fixed everything except the crack of dawn and a broken heart. Old school weldingThere are several Oxy/acetylene rigs in that shop. I bet the big boiler/heater setup vents out through that brick wall. Coolest rig is that auto/roller welding unit just in front of the guy on the right. The deal there is the torch is on rollers that they move along the joint of the steel plates aligned underneath it. Makes it much easier to weld a straight long joint between two plates. Not sure if that would have been manually moved or driven by an electric motor (with some kind of speed control). Anyway, that's doing it old school and a pro could make a joint stronger than the base metal. (The Gallery, Factories, WW2)
Ouray: 1901
Colorado circa 1901. "Ouray from Blow-out Canyon." 8x10 inch dry plate glass ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 04/30/2020 - 2:10pm -

Colorado circa 1901. "Ouray from Blow-out Canyon." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative by William Henry Jackson, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size. Hot springApparently, the pond at the bottom of the photo is a hot spring. From what you can see on Google Maps and from Street View which enables you to stand right beside the entrance, it seems to have been whittled down over the years and a water park has been built around it. There are some user photos which show the park and pools. Hasn't changed all that muchGreat shot of the greatest town in the west! Thanks for giving us a glimpse of how it used to be, before the townhouses and clutter! Switzerland of The WestToday, a beautiful little town tucked in the mountains given the nickname Switzerland of the West. Not much room to grow, thankfully Webcam at about the same locationhttp://www.ouraycam.com/ Big CityOuray is a veritable Metropolis compared to Silverton. Hip, hip ...... Sorry Town CelebrityI like Ouray; I've been there several times. And it's the home of a friend of mine: Bill Fries, a.k.a. "C.W. McCall" of "Convoy" fame; a country singer of the 1970s. As for Silverton, I recommend the Brown Bear Cafe. (The Gallery, DPC, Frontier Life, Small Towns, W.H. Jackson)
Quality Store: 1940
September 1940. "General store. Ophir, Colorado, a small gold mining town on the side of a mountain." Photo by Russell ... 
 
Posted by Dave - 11/06/2021 - 2:41pm -

September 1940. "General store. Ophir, Colorado, a small gold mining town on the side of a mountain." Photo by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration. View full size. Feline mienOlder gentleman seated in front of the store reminds me of cats in pictures who look toward the photographer as if knowing that they're the main subject. There must be a catBehind the gas pump, because that beautiful little boy in the window is surely captivated by something. Ruff TimesAccording to the town's website -- Population: 180 humans, 51 dogs CrackerjackTwo boxes, please. Cat tracks?? No: train tracks...Tho not apparent here, this store actually fronts on a railroad line https://ngtrainpics.photoshelter.com/img/pixel.gif High, low or middling?"Quality store", sure, but where on the scale from great to not so? It's the stanceI recognized Sailor Jack on the Cracker Jack boxes right away. Then again, I ate so much of the stuff, I was once dubbed the Cracker Jack Kid by a local Five and Dime store owner. No, we live like this all the timeThe owner of the Ophir general store must have received notice Russell Lee was coming to take a picture. The store has a new coat of paint and the stairs and boardwalk are in tiptop shape. Rock guardianBeautiful, up to date fuel pump situated in a very vulnerable and awkward to access location. Underground tank filler pipe "protection" is a couple of strategically placed rocks. "Ophir there," as they sayon the other side of the San Juan Mountains. I've been to Ophir--it's fairly remote and quite inaccessible. It always amazes me to see photos like this from 80 years ago, and to imagine how people carted supplies (and themselves, for that matter) to such a place with limited means of transportation and communication. [Someday they may invent vehicles which can finally make use of that gasoline pump. -tterrace] (The Gallery, Frontier Life, Gas Stations, Russell Lee, Small Towns, Stores & Markets)
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