HOT RODS and JALOPIES

Port Arthur Motors, Kam Motors, "old" and "new" cars......Gary Spence Photos

2012-01-26T22:08:00.002-05:00

These photos aren't really from the old Hot Rods or Jalopy era but it is a time when the old style business fronts were coming to an end. You don't see many businesses today with this type of design. A big thank you to Gary Spence for the use of these great early 1980's photos and Google for the 2009 ones. We start off with a 1981 photo of Port Arthur Motors on the corner of Court and Pearl Streets in Thunder Bay postal station "P" as they used to say (formerly Port Arthur, Ontario).

The picture on the left is how that corner looks today...it has been a couple of restaurants once Port Arthur Motors closed but now it is Tony & Adams Restaurant. That beautiful "new" Camaro in the first picture is shown close up here.

This is a very nice picture of Gary's beautiful 1956 Chevy Belair 4-door hardtop, taken just across Court Street in 1981 in the Port Arthur Motors new car lot.

I had a '57 Chevy Belair 4-door hardtop back in the 1960's and always liked the roof lines better on the 4 than the 2 door model. Nice car Gary!!

On the left you can click for a larger photo to see the spot where Gary's '56 was parked and how the lot looks today. On the right is what you would see in Port Arthur Motors used car lot in 1964. My favourite car there is the 1959 Pontiac Parisienne 4-door hardtop......I want to go back.....!!!

This is how the PAM used car lot looked in 2009...not sure who uses it or why! The gable roofed house in the background of this photo and the old b&w photo is still there!

Here is Gary's '56 again in front of the place I spent many weekends. This is Kam Motors on the Thunder Bay postal station "F" (Fort William, Ontario) side of town where my dad was the Body Shop Mgr. for over 30 years of his life. It was "THE" place to go and view all the new Chev/Olds and Cadillac cars each year in late September when all the new models were released. I purchased many of my old Chevy's from Kam back then. The guy vacuuming out the taxi is parked pretty much in the same place as Gary's car, and look how the building changed by 2009. It is presently the home of Diamond/Lacey's Taxi and Ace Automotive......well at least the building is still standing...not like so many other historic structures here. Diamond Taxi and Lacey's Taxi are each very well known taxi stands dating back to the 1940's here at the Lakehead.

Check out the "new" "Z's" in Kam Motors new car lot directly across the street from the Show Room photo above.....and here is how the lot pretty much looked in 2009 and today its full of much more junk.

Now were are standing down inside the new car lot looking towards the Show Room. We are looking at those great early 1980's Chevrolet's....This became pretty much the end of an era....as car design started to take on that smooth rounded look making all cars look like clones of each other. The last photo on the right is taken near the same spot as Gary's photo....showing all the changes and deterioration from time. Click on all photos for enlargements.

Gary, thanks again for the photos. I hope you all enjoy them as much as I have.

Fort William Winter Carnival Buttons and one Thunder Bay.....

2012-01-19T11:39:00.001-05:00

I just thought it would be interesting to add a photo of my buttons from the various winter carnivals here in Fort William and Port Arthur(Thunder Bay), since the next post is all about the Fort William Winter Carnival of 1949. Unfortunately the button my dad wore in the picture in the next post has long since been misplaced, but above you will see a larger wooden advertising from the 1963 winter carnival as well as a matching button, one from the Fort William Rendezvous 1951, one from the 1956 Fort William Winter Carnival as well as a functional wooden nickel from the same year. Finally a button from the Thunder Bay Winter Carnival in 1985. It would be nice to get a scan or photo of any other carnival buttons from Fort William or Port Arthur. Please send me photos if you have any. Thanks, Dave

The 1949 Fort William Winter Carnival -- with old cars, old buildings and great memories!!

2012-01-18T18:24:00.006-05:00

Well, here we are January 31, 1949 with probably the best winter carnival Fort William Ontario ever had....there were others in later years but this to me was the best. I was about 5 years old and I still remember it. This picture to the right is my father who entered the beard growing contest then with the quintessential carnival chapeau, plaid fur lined jacket and a carnival pin stating that he had won the contest for the best "Van Dyke" beard. My dad is still kicking today at 92 years young....you looked great pop. Hard to believe that this carnival was 63 years ago and my dad was a mere 29. This is the largest post I have ever done but I couldn't do it justice in pieces and had to add all the photos to one BIG blog post......hope you don't mind!

Would you look at that, 3 Chevy's and 1 Ford in the old photo....here is the 1949 picture of the Victoria Block done up like an old trading post during the carnival. It was incredible how the businesses went out of their way to add to the carnival excitement. In contrast is a 2010 photo of the same building.....hard to believe that it is actually the same place with the urban deterioration going on here! FOOTNOTE: A very sharp observer noted that there were post 1949 cars in the above photo, and with further research, realized that that particular photo was from the 1956 Fort William Winter Carnival....click on comments at the end of this post!

Be sure to click on all of these to enjoy them enlarged. This is the corner of Brodie Street and Donald Street as you can see from the present day photo....the big church in the photo is St. Andrews and the city hall old and new would be just to the left of all these pictures. Shaw's bakery was one of "the" business icons in those days, as well as Ogilvie Oats, depicted in the float picture to the right. The Ogilvie elevator now closed and deteriorated was just south of the CPR station on Syndicate Ave.

2010 Photo of Brodie and Donald Streets.

When I first saw these photos, I had to really think about where they were, but the givaway was the Noll's Motor Car building on the right. It was a Studebaker dealer then. It later became Kam Motors depot in the 1950's and after that was a drug store, the March of Dimes and a few other businesses. You are looking at the corner of Donald and Syndicate ave., facing west and a bit north. All the houses that you see except for a few way down the block are long gone to build...(you guessed it) ....the parkade for Victoriaville. If you turn right at the street(Syndicate Ave.), you would drive right up the Parkade ramp or or go around it to go to the Income Tax office.

This left photo is the Kangaroo Court float and the one with the Bull on the front is the Great Lakes Paper Company float. Another reminder to click on all the photos,

Look at all the people that supported the city events in those days. The photo to the right is how that corner looks today....what a contrast.

The is how the side of Noll Motors(Later Kam Motors depot) looked in 1949.

The float is the other Bread Company Parnell's "Mr Butternut, the best loafer

in town.

This is how the side of the building looks today.

Here's a nice photo of the Victoria Grill and Hotel decked out as Death Valley Scotty's as well as the barber shop next door as Silver Spur Barber. Look at the optician next door. The windows are like a pair of glasses....DO YOU REMEMBER??

This is the same corner as above but taken from a different angle. Yes, the "Vic" was on the corner of Victoria Ave and Syndicate Ave....the same spot as the Royal Bank building shown here in 2010. Well even the Royal Bank is gone from there now.....Time to tear it all down and rebuild the "VIC" ....I doubt that!!!

This is the "White's Drug Store"corner of May Street(NE corner) and Victoria Ave, all decked out for the carnival. The next small photo shows the complete corner in 1949 and how the corner looks today after a devistating fire back in 1963 that destroyed all the businesses and more that are shown in the first small picture here.

Before the fire, many of the business had already changed names, but it was a drug store here called Drug World. I remember going with my dad to see this spectacular fire and how it looked the next day....like an ice palace. It's bad enough that we lose so many historic buildings to fires but too many are blatantly torn dorn for a parking lot or other meaningless reasons.

This is the flip side (SW corner) of the old White's Drug Store building above and how it looked in 1949 and 2010.

This is the next corner west of May Street. It is Victoria Ave and Brodie Street how it looked with all those 1949 parade supporters and the Kresge store on the left and how that same corner looks today.

Here is how Willson's Stationery and Rutledge Stationery stores decorated for the carnival and how that corner looked in 2010

Here's the Paul Bunyan Band marching right through what is now Victoriaville Mall.....note the Chapples Department Store in the background.

This is part of the Chapples Limited float parked behing Chapples with a big smoking Voyageur on board. He is wearing the 1949 tam just as my dad and his friend did in the very last photo below. The Ice Fort photo on the right is of unknowns(let me know if you recognize anyone in this picture). The picture was taken in front of the old City Hall. The picture below with the Ice Palace in the background was taken at the old McKellar Park, which was behind the present day Fort William Gardens and Curling Club. It was a popular spot to gather and start parades from in those days. There was a baseball diamond, a football field and small bleechers there. The present day McKellar Park School occupies some of the large piece of property that is once was.

This final picture is of my dad John Cano and his friend and work associate at Kam Motors Archie Bott, taken just in front of the almost completed Ice Palace shown above at McKellar Park. Wool Pants...itchy or what!!

I must thank "Gateway to Northern Ontario History" for some of the wonderful pictures above but most of all I have to thank the original photographers of these pictures as without them, we wouldn't have these great historical shots. Click on pictures to enlarge!

More Jalopies and Service Stations in Fort William Ontario.........

2012-01-12T00:15:00.001-05:00

Sorry about the condition of this photo...This is how I got it...and love the patina. This photo shows Jim Walker as the driver of this car and as you will see below, local driver Ross "Pappy" Fowler also drove this car, but not sure who totalled it. The jalopy is parked on the north/west corner of Vickers St and Victoria Ave in the front of Marsonet Brothers Service Station(Red Marsonet proprietor). This is the present day location of Breeny's and Apple Auto Glass.

Click on all pictures to enlarge them. The colour photo is the present day location of the car above. The jalopy above is parked about where the sign is. To the right is a program photo of Jim Walker who also drove this car.

This is an ad from the 1953 Canadian Lakehead Exhibition racing program showing "Pappy" as the driver and a very nice "B-A all the way" ad.

Here is a nice little Fort William Times Journal Newspaper ad for Ace Tire and Battery Service and the colour picture at the same location is Harmer's Quality Auto Service. Many Tire and Battery service centres were at this location over the years at the corner of May and Leith Streets.

The newspaper clipping says this lot was opposite the Flamingo Club. The Flamingo Club at one time was "THE" place to go to have your special party or wedding reception. A newer yellow brick building is there now. Well.... I guess I'll date myself and say that my wedding reception was at the Flamingo Club before it got "skunky" and before it was torn down.

This is the present location of the Kam Motors used car lot above, on the corner of Dease and May Streets......Aw yes...this is the crime capitol of this area for 2011!!!! ...The Mac's Store.

Conrad Trombelli ran Con's Service at the corner of May and Cummings Street in Fort William. He also wrecked a few Deuce Coupe's...you know......1932 Ford Coupe's, immortalized by the Beach Boys Song "Little Deuce Coupe". Here is Con's car on its lid as a pit steward looks on and waits for the tow truck......no wonder all steel '32 Ford Coupes are so rare today.........!!

Last but not least is where Conrad's White Rose station used to be back then. More empty lots waiting to be turned into parking lots around the new Thunder Bay Courthouse I suppose.

CLE Racing tidbit and a Chinese Laundry......

2012-01-05T00:31:00.005-05:00

This is a typical 1958 Photo of the CLE Racetrack pits in Fort William Ontario as seen from the Grandstand facing south/east. In the center is the #19 Louis Tocheri car '32 Ford Coupe with his hauler vividly painted "Tocheri Brothers". If you click on the photo to get a closer shot you will also see a pickup truck with "East End Service" painted on the side. East End Service still exists to this day. What you will see as you scroll down is a few photos showing you the exact location of this photo relative to the google earth photo today, using a few houses as locator's.

Note these three houses in this closer photo to see where they are today.

Here are the houses in the gold square above and also in the square below. You can see that the pits and the track completely surrounded the present day golf dome.

The aerial photo shows Fort William Road, Northern Ave., the Coliseum building, the Golf dome, the Silver City Theatre, the Neebing River and the Fort William Road bridge crossing it. From these photos you should be able to locate the spot where all the oil and grease still exists under the Golf dome parking lot. Next: A Port Arthur thought!

This is an incredible photo from the Thunder Bay Online web page showing a Chinese Laundry just to the south of the old News Chronicle building in Port Arthur Ontario. This looks like a 1938 Pontiac or Oldsmobile coupe sitting proudly up front. I wonder what the two chaps are talking about? Just to the right of this building is the old News Chronicle(Port Arthur newspaper) building.

Click on these two pictures to enlarge them. The photo on the left is the News Chronicle building showing an arrow in orange going down Arthur Street(now Red River Road) and turning right onto a very narrow Water Street. CNR and CPR gave up quite a few tracks so that Water Street could be widened. The black and white photo also shows the Pagota before it was moved further towards the lake and the majestic CNR station with a couple of steam engines huffing away in front of it. The last photo on the right is the Ontario Government building that was built over the site of the News Chronicle building and is taken at pretty much the same place where the Chinese Laundry was. I actually prefer the old buildings to the new Parthenon that the government built. No thought to preserving anything in this city!! Thanks to Thunder Bay online for use of the photo of the Chinese Laundry.

A REAL HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.........The Hangover Cause and Cure....

2011-12-30T22:54:00.003-05:00

I've had this dream before!!!

Marilyn and Elvis wishing us the best for the New Year...I wish they were still with us.

Here are some reasons why we need a post party cure!!!

An old magazine cover from England...she sure knows how to party!!

Hair of the DOG!!!

Good Old ICE!!!!

Bromo Seltzer from wayyyy back!

Yup! ...nothing better than a good ol' cuppa Java!

Anacin!

PLOP PLOP....FIZZ FIZZ .....Remember?

Blowfish - Combination Caffeine and Pain Killer!
Never heard of this before......

A couple more good ones............ B&B

Bufferin and Bromo.

It looks like Donald has more than milk in his baby bottle here....from this old 1937/38 Mickey Mouse Magazine.

Many thanks to all those who contribute to this blog page and also for all those who watch and send encouraging emails(Ton's more vintage racing and local history coming in 2012). Some of these photos won't enlarge much but click on them to see. Be sure to check back on last years new years post for more remedies...click here then come back. http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-year-2011.html

FINALLY - SAVE YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS FROM A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!!

Bob McCoy's 1940 Ford Sedan.....a California Gem from the 1950's.....

2011-12-28T01:02:00.005-05:00

As a kid growing up in the far north........myself and many of my old car buddies always dreamed about California .......maybe going there some day, and seeing in person some of the incredible hot rods that came out of there. All we had were the stories and the Magazines such as Hot Rod and Car Craft. One that stuck in my mind all these years was Bob McCoy's 1940 Ford Sedan.

Bob is an extraordinarily talented hot rod artist with much of his work featured in many of the hot rod press magazines and books. This hot rod was Bob's high school car, and has probably appeared in print more than most other hot rods through the years.

He built the car in the mid 1950's, using a tidy but stock '40 Ford sedan as the base. The front end was lowered 12" using a Dago'd axle(Dago'd axles were flattened out in the dropped area and have hammer marks in the dropped area also) and reversed eye springs, along with much smaller 5.50 X 15 front tires. The rear tires were 8.00 X 15, giving it a timeless hot rod stance. The engine was a Flathead V-8 pulled out of a drag car, to full race specs.

The '40 was flamed by Ray Cook, with McCoy adding the lakes pipes and custom nerf bar. Bob's car was given huge amounts of press between 1955 and 1957, including making the covers of Car Craft, Rodding & Restyling and Hot Rod Magazine.

Nothing certain is known of the whereabouts of the car today, thought the majority of rumours centre around it being turned into a street rod at some point. Bob McCoy currently owns a '40 Ford Coupe which is running the original nerf bar from the sedan.

The Sedan is epitomised by '40 Ford owners as inventing "The Look".

I don't exactly know where I got this story but it is one of those incredible California tales that us northern boys always loved to read about. This one in particular was written by Bob himself.

.......and this is the second page of the story....Enjoy! then scroll down.

This is a self portrait of Bob's car...where?....but of course at the famous Mel's Diner from "American Graffiti". If you want to see some of the incredible stuff that Bob is up to today, head out to this link then come back...click here http://www.bobmccoyart.com/index.html

I don't usually write about anyone out of our home area of Fort William and Port Arthur, but I've wanted to include this as a blog post for some time now......lots more to come in the New Year as usual. ...and as usual click on all the photos especially the written ones to be able to read all the stories. Hope you enjoyed this one....D.

FOOTNOTE: Given the nickname of the town from whence it came, San Diego - "DAGO" - the Dago dropped axle, was requisite metal for any ride worthy of being called a hot rod. Re-manufactured, as it was, and marketed by San Diego speed merchant Ed Stewart, the axle was such a pervasive part of hot rodding that it's nickname became a description for a down-in-front hot rod.....when someone described a car as "Dago'd", there was no question about it having a nose-down stance.

Merry Christmas 2011 ....the last Christmas post for this year.

2011-12-21T18:30:00.005-05:00

This is one of my most favourite photos ever posted by our friends at Shorpy.com .....The peace and serenety of the scene after a fresh snowfall reminded me of my childhood days.

The following picture was posted once before but it is one of my favourite family photos ever. Who could ask for better times at about 15 years old(one year before I could drive). This of course is my family taken in December of 1959. My mother Noreen, not with us anymore, my little sister Daryle, my baby brother Corey, my Dad, Jon(yes..that is how it was spelled, and still doing well at 92 years) with his perpetual cigarette and of course myself with my white and red ski sweater on(if it was in colour). We were out getting our annual Christmas Tree, somewhere near Oliver Lake here in Fort William. I couldn't have asked for a better childhood than what I had....things were a bit tough at times, but I was truly a lucky kid. Click twice on both photos to enlarge.

Thanks to all who have donated pictures throughout the year and all those who faithfully watch HR&J....We will continue to try to bring you something new and different as time permits.
Merry Christmas to all......D.

A Few More Memories.........before Christmas 2011......

2011-12-20T01:27:00.001-05:00

Here is the first of two Saturday Evening Post covers from December 17, 1949 and a few ads taken from that particular issue. It is interesting to see some of the changes in the past 62 years. The late 1940's and 1950's were much simpler times than what we share today....and it is nice to go back sometimes, not that you want the world of that time back, but just to reminisce a bit. My dad always said that he felt the richest in those days.....not money wise but family wise.

"Gifts that say Merry Christmas with every puff"...OK....Santa says that he wants to give you throat cancer for Christmas.........And WOW...that 1950 Ford ready for early release...."It has the LOOK.....It has the ROOM....It has the FEEL.....It's the '50 FORD". Be sure to click once then twice on these pictures to view them FULL SIZE.

It only costs you .40 cents a quart to make your car think it's Summer......A great Quaker State/Snowman oil ad from this 1949 Post Magazine.

Do you remember the New Pixie Flash CAMERA ...notice that it is mounted on her wrist and is not much larger than a big wrist watch except for the flash unit. Mom could now work for the C.I.A. with this little spy camera.

Here is the December 24, 1949 issue...the following week from the one above. Poor Dad and Mom are totally exhausted and actually falling asleep while decorating the tree.....they will be glad when Christmas is all over......Everything is finally done and its Christmas Eve 62 years ago....This feeling is something that has never changed much over the last 62 years.

How dare those Americans call Canada Dry's Ginger Ale the American Ginger-Upper......It called CANADA DRY....get it!! LOL ....It also says it has the Purest Jamaican Ginger......Hope that's all the ingredients from Jamaica....LOL again!! The next ad here is kind of bizarre....I had never heard of "Fatima" cigarettes. I thought only "Turkish Delights" were imported from Turkey. Very unusual. Once more...click once or twice to enlarge to full screen.

This cute little guy in this ad says that his daddy was a good boy too and he wants a new Plymouth. Here is what Daddy's new Plymouth might look like back in 1949. I might have been that little kid because I was about 5 years old then but would have had to ask for a Chevrolet..... don't forget that my dad was the body shop manager for Kam Motors, a local Chev-Olds-Cadillac dealer. Click here to read more about Kam Motors, then come back. http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2009/09/kam-motors-limited-and-oldsmobile.html

This ad was taken from a Fort William Ontario commemorative newspaper from 1952 showing the progress of the region. This is The R. S. Piper and Sons store in Fort William(actually West Fort William). This tray from my own collection was given by the R. S. Piper Co. store to very loyal customers for Christmas in 1911.

This is what the R. S. Piper store in West Fort William looks like today, sporting the old advertising from another era on both ends of the building. Hardware stores back then did sell toys at Christmas such as this Slinky or maybe an Etch-a-Sketch.

I could never do Etch-A-Sketch very well. The final little tidbit here is a lid from a KFC bucket. How many mom`s and dad`s burned the turkey and sent out for Kentucky Fried Chicken.....Just think about it an you can smell the wonderful aroma........YUMM

There will be one more small Christmas Post this week...be sure to check back and as I keep on saying...be sure to click once, then twice on most pictures to make them large.

Old Times, Hard Times, Good Times.....we should be grateful for what we have!!!

2011-12-17T11:59:00.002-05:00

Here are the Blakely Brothers in 1930 with restored toys going out for delivery to poor children in the Los Angeles area(note the lack of snow). The other photo from 1902 says to help send Santa down 10,000 chimneys in Chicago by donating what you can.

In 1903, the Salvation Army is typically hard at work to help 25,000 poor folks enjoy a Christmas dinner. The next photo from 1938 shows unemployed workers trying to keep warm next to a post Christmas castaway tree. They were kids once and had a real Christmas....now they are just trying to keep their ears from freezing.....but they still have a Christmas tree...Oh...the power of Christmas!!!

Here are some kids from 1906 receiving Christmas baskets with the basic necessities of life included......they sure looked happy and weren't disappointed that they probably didn't get what they really wanted. Kids today don't realize how lucky they are...!

A very interesting 1947 Kresge`s Department Store front window display. The kids could pose with Santa for a photo.

This is what Christmas was all about in 1945. A very happy soldier returning home to his sweetheart to a very Merry Christmas.

This 1935 photo shows a much better time for this young man. What kid wouldn`t want an electric train under his tree.

If you are a child of the 1950`s you will surely know this couple. It is Lucile Ball and Desi Arnaz. This photo was taken in about 1953 shortly after the birth of their second child Desi Arnaz Jr. Their daughter shown sitting is Lucie Desiree Arnaz at about age 2. A wonderful family Christmas that eventually ended in divorce in 1960.

This is the Kennedy family Christmas card with John-John and Caroline......the card that was never sent, because President Kennedy was assassinated just before Christmas on November 22nd in 1963.

One final photo here is taken at Christmastime in Iowa during the peak of the 1930`s depression...they still managed however to have a few lights strung out for the Holidays.

Life is short, and is tough at times, but we all seem to survive.....some however better than others. Be sure to visit the old folks, the shut-ins, the sick and the lonely ones that have no one to visit them during this Christmas season. These are the people that have helped to make our world a happier and much more prosperous place than what they lived through.

Some of these photos are courtesy of our friends at Shorpy.com

A few more of "My Favourite Things"......Christmas 2011

2011-12-11T22:31:00.004-05:00

It was amazing what was available during the dirty 30's. These ads from the 1934/35 Canadian Eaton's Catalog show us what was available even during the depression. Toys and Christmas decor such as these were likely not affordable to the average person, however were all still available for sale in this Eaton's mail order catalog of that era and at incredibly cheap prices in today's standards. Be sure to click on these ads twice to enlarge them to full screen size.

Tires and Batteries were also quite reasonable, but many of the early car owners drove their cars until the tire cords were showing through before they would buy a new tire. These also tell you that some people were still driving their cars during those tough years. The Eaton's stores here were on the corner of Arthur Street(Red River Road) and Court Street in Port Arthur, and on 130 S. Syndicate Ave directly across from the Income Tax building in Fort William, long before the Victoriaville Parkade was built.

Who can forget the .29 cent package of blown glass tree ornaments from Woolworth's and the incredible Santa Claus art of Haddon Sunblom. Haddon and Coca Cola created this Santa and still stands today as a childs vision of the true Santa Claus.......but with those rosy cheeks there may have been a little rum in that Coca Cola. :-)

A favourite on many kids Christmas wish list was a Radio Flyer wagon(click on this and all pictures to view clearer)...a toy which is still available to this day.......and if you want to know anything about "Batman", you can ask my brother. He is an expert on this subject and has an incredible collection, not just of Batman but many other subjects in the toy world.....and baseball too!!

If you want to get on the bad side of your wife....be sure to buy her a "Hoover" vacuum cleaner to put under the tree this Christmas, or maybe a washing machine, or and new kitchen range.

The next ad here is a little tongue in cheek as I think Santa is peeking in the upward direction to catch a glimpse of those wonderful legs in "Mojud" nylons....LOL

I am ending this Christmas time post(More to come) with a couple of good cartoons I recently received in an email, and couldn't resist posting them here!!!

Be sure to click on all the pictures(some will enlarge bigger than others) especially the old ads above.

Some of "My Favourite Things".......

2011-12-10T00:03:00.003-05:00

"Here are a few of my favourite things"...no pun intended....just a few internet items I thought were great and would add some interest to this Christmas-time blog post. Scroll down to see all of them and also a few old toy commercials from the good ol' days.

Thanks to the fabulous art of Von Franco who was inspired by Big Daddy Roth, Von Dutch and Robert Williams.

Wouldn't any gearhead kid go nuts to recieve any of these toy cars under the tree.........including me!!

Now this isn't me, my brother or anyone else I know....The picture is from my friends at Shorpy.com and shows that incredible MARX service station that I got when I was about 7 years old....and have treasured it ever since as my most favourite toy I ever received next to my Red Ryder BB Gun(Don't shoot your eye out).

I just remember the spray snow that took forever to get off the windows after Christmas!!

The First Rockefeller Center tree and how it looks today...click on photos to enlarge.

You have to love this one....I never had one but a few of my buddies did later on. I just remember destroying by 1950's baseball cards by clipping them to my bicycle forks with a clothes pin to make that great "motor" sound.

This Tommy Gun and 45 Snub Nose sure looked real in its day......Hey Kid...Don't point those guns at a cop out your dad's car window......LOL

Click on all photos to enlarge them.....MORE OF "MY FAVOURITE THINGS" TO COME!

More Then and Nows to ponder here in Fort William and Port Arthur.....

2011-11-26T00:19:00.003-05:00

Here a few more great photos from then and now in Port Arthur, Ontario(now Thunder Bay). Red River Road near the water front in Port Arthur was originally called Arthur Street, but had to be changed due to the amalgamation of Fort William and Port Arthur into Thunder Bay in 1970.

Same spot taken in 2009

Photo is taken just west of Court Street on Red River Road

NW Corner of Court and RR Road taken 2009

Taken on the North West corner of Red River Road and Court.

Court & Red River Road a little closer to the lake early part of the Century

Photo taken in the same spot as above

Taylor's Men's Wear photo taken in the late 1940's. The OLG Casino would be
just to the left of this photo as seen in the today photo below.

This is the same building as above....you can see the casino behind it.

This is the Tomlinson Block. It is situated directly across from the Prince Arthur Hotel on the water front in Port Arthur Ontario. This was an early 1950's photo, showing a Simpsons Sears mail order depot, and a variety of other business long gone and changed as noted in the today photo shown next.

Here Thunder Bay Insurance Services occupy the same spot that Simpsons Sears did in the 1950's. This photo was taken in 2009, thanks to Google Images.

Continuing on with the Tomlinson block....this photo was taken in the 1920's and a little further south down the street and faces the W.T. McEachern Drug store on the north west corner of Cumberland street and Red River Road. You can see the public utilities building a little further down Cumberland street in the distance. A little known fact was that the F. W. Woolworth store was originally located this far down Arthur Street(Red River Road).

A little more recognizable on this same corner is the Burke Jewelry store and just left of it, Bryans. Bryans also had a store on Victoria Ave in Fort William. This photo was taken in the early 1950's. St James Music Store just to the left of Bryans was a mainstay at this location right into the 1970's and beyond in a different location. It was called St. James Stereo.

A great aerial shot taken likely from the roof of the News Chronicle building in the 1950's around the same time as the photo above was taken. You are facing west and up Arthur Street(Red River Road). To the right are the fire escapes from the Prince Arthur Hotel, and also in the photo is a Brill Bus vividly painted in the Port Arthur colours of burgundy and cream.

Th final shot here is how the corner looks today.....not very glamorous at all!

It is sometimes difficult to come to terms with how our city looks today. A lot of the old buildings are long gone and all the cars look like clones. Back then, you could tell what make a car was from two or three blocks away. It would be nice to think that our siblings and grand-kids could remember how it was by viewing some of the vintage photos shown in this blog site. My own 11 year old grand-daughter is very interested in our city's history and said that she would like to help preserve some of our past........ "Progress is wonderful...but not at a loss of our past".

Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge them...Thanks

KIISKILA'S SERVICE GARAGE in Port Arthur and other miscellaneous items.....

2011-11-23T01:05:00.004-05:00

Here is a 1936 Calendar from Kiiskila's original location in Port Arthur Ontario. In the 1930's it was located on the corner of Bay and Algoma Street. The present location is shown in the small photo here.

Kiiskila's was also a distributor for their own "Molly Oil" which was well known in the area at that time. The address shown on the bottle was John Street and Empire(Empire was changed to Empress Street when Fort William and Port Arthur amalgamated). The building in the present day photo still exists on the same property. This was the last location of Kiiskila's Service. My step-mom's dad Werner Tapio, ran this station for quite some time in the 1940's and 1950's.

Below is an old ad from 1932 for a tire pressure gauge made by Schrader.....and in the picture to the right is the same unusual piece from my own collection with some old tire/tube valves.

Here is an old ad from about 1934 showing a Prestone Antifreeze can and reminding us all to get our cars ready for the winter months here in the North. Prestone and the Eveready Battery people were together at that time, later to branch out on their own, as shown on the cans in my collection here.

Below are a couple of different anti-freeze ads from the 1930's and it looks as thought the "Afflack" duck was taken from that ad.

One final part to this post is actually from a current issue of Reminisce Magazine which is a great bi-monthly publication for us nostalgia freaks. Dennis Adler has a cool little cartooney item in each publication and this one reminds us of some of the teenage antics from the 1950's.

DO YOU REMEMBER??

Be sure to click on each photo once or twice to read them clearly.

Thanks for watching HR&J..........Dave.

LEST WE FORGET, Remembrance Day 2011 - 20 photos of then and now here in Fort William and Port Arthur.....

2011-11-03T00:24:00.000-04:00

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

The picture to the right is taken on the corner of Red River Road(formerly Arthur Street before amalgamation), and Cumberland Street facing north. A little faded out but on the right is the Prince Arthur Hotel. This picture was taken on VJ day (Victory in Japan day) in 1945 during the ticker tape parade.

This photo was taken about 1918 welcoming home WWI soldiers to Fort William Ontario. This picture was taken on the corner of Victoria Ave and May Street facing west.

This is how the corner looked in 2009....the changes are incredible but there are still 2 rows of 7 windows across the upper floors of the Scotia Bank building.

This is a 1917 photo of the 141st Battalion coming down Simpson Street heading south/west around the corner onto Victoria Ave.

This corner as it looked in 2009 on Google images barely looks like the same spot, as most all the historic structures on Simpson St have burned to the ground in recent years.

This is a photo of the arrival back in Port Arthur of the 52nd Battalion on March 29, 1919, only 5 months before my father was born. The battery of soldiers are moving off on parade. This old Port Arthur CPR station would be right in the middle of what is now Water Street just east of the Prince Arthur Hotel.

The Next few photos are taken on Oct 10th 1940. Local soldiers of the 52nd Battalion are marching down Red River Road to the CPR station where they will head by train to the east coast and then overseas.

This is how this corner looked in 2009 on Google images.

The Pagota in this picture as you can see was moved west up the hill somewhat towards the Prince Arthur Hotel. Water street was quite narrow and the time and was west of the old CPR station as shown in the older photo. This old station would actually be right in the centre of the present day Water Street.

This is a 1940 Colour Guard parade on the corner of Victoria Ave and Brodie Street in Fort William showing soldiers heading off to war. Thank you to Roger Rickards for this great photo. All the old Victoria Ave landmarks are clearly visible in this photo.

This is how the same spot looked in 2009 on Google Images. It's nice to see most of these Victoria Ave building are still in use today.

Canada Car and Foundary(CC&F) built 1,441 Hurricanes and Sea Hurricanes during the war effort.

This is how the inside of the Fort William plant looked in 1944. My father was stationed on the west coast near Victoria BC after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour. There was concern that there would be more bombings of naval bases in the US and in Canada in the early 1940's. My parents were married just before my Dad was sent to Victoria and I would be born there when this photo was taken in 1944.

Thanks to all those who donated or loaned photos for this and many other posts. Be sure to click on all the photos for enlargement and also go to this link to see more photos from last years Remembrance Day post http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2010/11/lest-we-forgetremembrance-day-november.html

100 YEARS OF DOMINION MOTORS - 1911-2011

2011-10-25T22:10:00.006-04:00

In 1908 George Dolcetti started a bicycle repair shop and in 1911 the entrepreneurial businessman went into the automobile business. George was also the owner of a very sophisticated Essex race car driven by the notable Frank Colosimo. Frank would later drive the famed “King’s Special”.

This is how Dominion Motors looked in the 1940's - Photo
Courtesy of Jerry McKenzie.

I detect a hot rod in this close-up from the above photos!!

Later, his sons Guido and Alfred operated two separate dealerships, one in Port Arthur, Ontario and one in Fort William, Ontario until Guido’s death in 1968.

This is how Dominion Motors looked in the 1950's - Photo Courtesy of Jerry McKenzie.

In 1970, Alfred amalgamated the two dealerships and moved the entire operation to May Street in Thunder Bay South, the same year that the City of Thunder Bay was established by the amalgamation of the two cities previously mentioned.

Always a familiar sight at the Stock Car Races at the CLE was

the Dominion Motors tow truck.

Here's the Dominion tow truck again

rescuing Prokosh and Zatti!

In 1980 John purchased the business. Looking toward the future in 1988, John built a new dealership at its present location on Copper Crescent. After thirty one years as a General Motors dealer, John remains in an advisory capacity today. Present owner and manager, Tyler Dolcetti, George’s great grandson proudly carries on his family’s legacy into a fourth generation.

Here is how Dominion Motors looked in the 1970's. The tall facade in the front was removed to make it more modern looking and the used car lot was enlarged. The "Used Cars" building is there to this day. The long curved top building and its attached building belonged to the well known May Auto Parts. Most of this building is still there today as well.

This is the back of the above postcard.

This is how the complete building looks today.

This is the Ken Peterson Used car lot that used to belong to Dominion Motors. If you look hard at the 1970 photo above, you can see this.

A recent photo of Tyler Dolcetti.

Dominion Motors looks today.

Thanks to all those who donated photos to this and all other blog posts. Click on all pictures for enlargements!

Victoria and Brodie Streets, and Victoria and May Streets in Fort William, Ontario.....Do You Remember??

2011-10-20T00:22:00.001-04:00

The first photos show the once busy corner in downtown Fort William during the February 1949 Winter Carnival. This area was host to wonderful business ventures back then as well as respectable clientele. This is the corner of Victoria Ave and Brodie Street facing south/east. In this picture you can plainly see the SS Kresge store on the left and the Imperial Bank of Canada across the street. To the left of it is the Francis Block showing Bourke’s Drug store and the Rutledge Stationery store. This is well before Victoriaville was built. Even though this is part of a parade, this is what a typical Saturday shopping day would look like(with people on the sidewalks though). The next photo is how this corner looks today.

The next photo is Cooper's Ladies wear taken about the same time as the photo above during the Winter Carnival in Fort William in 1949. Most of the local business along Victoria Ave dressed their store fronts in turn of the century logging and voyageur days decor.

This Aerial shot shows Cooper's Ladies wear on Victoria Ave. with the Royal

Edward Hotel in the foreground. The small advertising on the right is a typical

Newspaper ad from the 1950's for Cooper's. The next photo courtesy of Jim Hinsperger shows Cooper-Stitt after the major 1971 fire that consumed it, White's Rexall Drug Store and Wishart's Fashion Craft which was just to the left of the Cooper's Store. By the late 1960's the store was called Cooper-Stitt which had an array of men's and women's fashions.

Some of the photos of the fire appeared earlier on this blog site.

The photo below is a Brill Bus in front of the building that burned about a year and a half after it was taken. The drug store at this time was "Lord's" pharmacy.

The "Cooper's" sign is vividly shown near the rear of the bus. This photo is courtesy of the Scalzo Collection.

This is how the White's Drug Store looked on this corner back in the late 1940's, also showing the Cooper's Ladies Wear store and Wishart's Fashion Craft. Mr. Wishart was my first employer back in the 1950's. I would deliver ties to customers by bicycle, do inventory and clean the display cases. I was only 11 years old when I had this job.

Here is a newspaper ad for White's Rexall Drug Store as well as a typical ad that would appear in a brochure or a church bulletin during the 1940's. Note the N1347 phone number which meant North 1347. This was just before dial telephones. You would pick up your phone. The operator would say "Central" and you would say "North 1347 please" and you would reach Whites.

The next photo is one that did appear in the blog awhile back to show the Whites Drug Store and Cooper block after the fire in 1971.

The last picture below is how that corner looks now.....pretty quiet and barren, with such a boring building to take the place of the large 3 storey Cooper Block and White's Rexall Drugs.

Thanks to all those who loaned photos to publish including Jim Hinsperger and the Scalzo Collection. Some more of Jim's photos will appear in coming weeks.

Be sure to click on all photos for enlargements.

906 Victoria Ave.....A Hot Rod and Jalopy Haven........

2011-09-29T01:09:00.003-04:00

Staff at Darlings circa 1953

906 Victoria Ave, a service station for many years that can be traced back to the 1930`s and progressing into the 1970’s was a hot rod and jalopy dream-haven for kids my age especially in the 1950`s and 1960’s. Well known names enter my mind such as Ken Taylor, Ralph Darling, Norm Hogan, Ross “Pappy” Fowler, Glen and Barry Kettering, Bud Heidrick, Don Marsh, Charlie Miller and Ray DeFoy to name a few.

Every one of these guys were gentlemen in their own right and as car-crazy kids that we were, they all treated us well, because we were shortly to become regular patrons of 906 Victoria Ave as we entered into our adult years.

Darling's as it looked at its grand opening circa 1953

There are many gaps in dates and changes in ownership through the years and anyone that has anything to add to this post is very welcome to do so.

Pappy Fowler's car sponsored by Darlings Texaco Service

Somewhere along the line it changed to Bud's Service(or so we think due to the fact that the #10 Fowler car said Bud's Service on the side), owned by local businessman and entrepreneur Bud Heidrick. My father was an old friend of Bud's until his passing a few years ago. This next ad was used while Glen and Barry were working for Ralph Darling and just before the Kettering Brothers started their own business in the Husky Station directly across from the CPR Station on Syndicate Avenue. This ad was shown in the 1955 Canadian Lakehead Exhibition track program.

Glen and Barry at Darlings Texaco

Here is a photo of Ross "Pappy" Fowler's car with "Bud's Service" plainly seen on the side. Many of the #47 Barry Kettering's early to mid 50's cars also sported the "Bud's Thing" logo on the side.

Here is a clipping of one of Barry's cars after a serious accident with "Bud's Thing" painted on the side. This picture was taken in front of "Darling's" at 906 Victoria Ave facing away from the station at a a north east angle. Note the YMCA Building in the background, no longer there! That property is presentlly being used to build the new courthouse. Check the next picture to see how this exact shot looked just before the YMCA building was destroyed.

The photo shown on the right is the same shot as above taken just before the YMCA building was taken down. In the above photo there were only billboards on this property.....I remember that well. The Natural Health building was originally built for a Gov't Liquor Control Board store.

This photo has been shown on this blog before and is a picture of yours truly on the left and Joe Cooper on the right with Charlie Miller's '57 Chevy hobby stock in front of the same station and address at 906 Victoria Ave. We had just lettered and painted Charlie's car. Joe and I were on his pit crew until I had my own #67 car in mid summer of 1967. This photo was taken earlier in 1967. The station at this time was owned and operated by Charlie Miller and Ray DeFoy as "Ray Charles Texaco" ...catchy name eh!! These were truly the good old days as Charlie and Ray and all the other guys that ran this station through the years treated all us kids incredibly well. The signage in front was Marfak Lubrication, Washing, and Tires & Batteries.

These two old ads were other proprietors of 906 Victoria Ave through the years, and I don't remember either. I don't remember "Jake's Service Station" as I wasn't born yet, but it is the same address. I also don't remember "Bob Schnaufer's Service Station" from a 1957 CLE Racing program, but it is the same address at the Corner of Victoria and John Street. John Street was changed to McKellar Street after the two cities amalgamated into Thunder Bay, and the giveaway was that it was opposite the Safeway Grocery Store on Victoria Ave.....and Safeways was directly across from 906 Victoria Ave.

The last photo here is how the building looks today and still standing....hard to believe it was all this!!!

Yes! It is Dave Knight Optical at 906 Victoria Ave.

Many thanks to those who donated photos and clippings including Google Images. Some of these clippings and ads are from Barry Kettering's own scrap book.

Be sure to click once or twice on the pictures to enlarge them!

Thunder Bay Co-op, The Bear, The Bottles, Horse and Buggies and Divco's....thanks to Niels Maclam!

2011-09-24T22:31:00.006-04:00

It was with great pleasure that we met Niels(yes that is the correct spelling) and Chris Maclam while on vacation this past winter. When we got home we had a great conversation about old photos and what came up was a story about a couple of photos from Minnesota Dragways in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. The two pictures included Niels’ 69 Camaro and were taken in 1971. These pictures will appear in a later blog post.......which led to the following.............

Co-op Building as it stands today
with remnants of the past!

AND...........while talking about old pictures in general it so happens that Niels is the grandson of Niels C.(Chris) Hanson who was manager of the Thunder Bay Co-op Dairy from the early 1930’s until the late 1960’s(except for a couple of years). The Co-op dairy was located on the corner of Secord and Queen Street right behind the present day Tim Horton’s on North Memorial Ave. Niels had some incredible photos to share with me as you will see.

Love the old snub-nose Divco trucks

to the left of this staff photo.....if you

know anyone in this picture,

please let me know by email.

A 1936 Ford Coupe and a late 1940's

Pontiac parked out front - look closely

in the green square behind the horse

wagon, is a model "A" Ford Coupe.

Niels C. Hanson(more favourably known Chris Hanson) was hired by Thunder Bay Co-op in the early 1930’s as superintendent and by 1932 he was its manager, and with his reorganizational talents slowly got the dairy back to prosperity it once had known.

When you enlarge this you can read "Universal Auto Parts"

on a sign in the distance...Universal was on Fort William Road

Chris Hanson’s first brain child was the first ever "Iced Milk Rink" built in the winter of 1939 using surplus skim milk from the dairy and implemented by Helen Hietanen on behalf of the dairy. It was located on the east side of Memorial Ave., between Queen and Lisgar Street. The Milk Rink was featured in news articles and broadcasts across Canada and the USA and was also on “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not”. The rink was so popular that it re-opened in 1940 as well.

Bottles from my collection

Approximate present day site of the

Milk Rink!

Co-op purchased the milk delivery business from Fred Scollie in Fort William, with stables built on Southern Ave in Fort William, and in 1947 a new barn and garage was completed at the Secord and Queen property. Chris Hanson’s second brain child was the milk bottle shaped building at the Lakehead Exhibition Grounds, and from here the dairy sold milk and ice cream during fair week. I remember you could buy half a brick of ice cream for 10 or 15 cents. The well-known logo “Meet me at the Bottle” was printed at the top. The bottle building became the meeting place during fair week for friends or if you lost your children or whoever. A similar smaller bottle was built on top of the dairy plant with the well known Co-op label on it as well.

No one really knows who the bear or trainer was in these photos with the bear.....probably just someone who was entertaining at the CLE with a trained bear. Does anyone know who the sales person is? Niels, these are incredible shots!

Click on all of these pictures(some twice for super size)to enlarge them!

This is a closeup of the inside of the
Co-op Bottle Building showing all the
5 cent prices!

A few more Co-op
items from my collection

With all the modernization completed by the late 1950’s, Chris retired and had offered his expertise elsewhere, but in about 1964 with board of directors in disagreement over the way the dairy was being operated, Chris Hanson returned to try to help out again, however new government rules and regulations governing proper storage for milk products, many farmers chose to close their own businesses rather than go into debt. By March of 1969 Thunder Bay Co-op was sold to Palm Dairies and the staff went to work for Palm. Niels Chris Hanson officially retired in 1970.

Many Thanks to Niels Maclam for his own story and photos and also to Wayne Pettit and Dave Maclean for letting me use much of the above data from their very informative “Milk Bottles & Dairies of Thunder Bay and Area 1906-2003” available for purchase at the Thunder Bay Museum.
Be sure to click on all photos once then twice for super size to view best!

More Fort William and Port Arthur Then's and Now's.......

2011-09-13T00:05:00.002-04:00

Here we have 'The Home of Burney's Taxi". Does anyone remember where it was? It was at 111 N. Brodie Street and now there is no such address. The two pictures following this one are almost self explanatory. Wow, talk about "urban renewal", and how fast it all happens. I hate that statement, because in our case here at the Lakehead it meant intercity improvements and downtown deterioration. Let's hope things will get better in the future with all the goings on downtown Fort William.

Be sure to click on these pictures to compare from the 1950's one to 2009 where you can still see the YMCA building and the Twin City Gas building and most of the Victoriaville parking area, and finally to the present day.

This picture was taken yesterday from the same spot as the two others above and shows the progress at the new Court House.

NEXT is a series of West Fort William photos, some of which have been on this blog before. It is the Dowswell Sheet Metal Co. building on the corner of Brock and Ford Streets in Westfort William. The building still exists to this day as the "MASH Sewing Centre"

This became a famous corner in the mid 1940's as the place where a city rail trolly actually rolled over onto its side to the chagrin of passengers and the fellow standing on the balcony there!

These are photos of original street car signs that adorned the panels above the windows inside our rail streetcars from the 1920's to the 1940's. This type of advertising is still used to some extent today on city buses. Click on them to see the detail.

The next item on this post is another Westfort William building. The 1913 photo was in a local advertising brochure naming the two lakehead cities of Fort William and Port Arthur as THE destination for major business ventures in the centre of Canada. This is the "Donald Block" on the corner of Frederica and Brown Sts. in Westfort William and was the hub of 1913 financial doings in that part of town for the Royal Bank of Canada.

The NOW picture here is the same building and today almost 100 years later is still standing as the well known Schwartz Men's Wear store.

Finally in this post we jump to Port Arthur, to a 1948 photo of Nicholson's Tire and Battery Service which was on the corner of Bay and Machar Sts. The smaller photos show how the interior looked back then, and the old time ad(Nicholson's Tire Surgery) was copied from a 1933 local hockey sports book. Check out the old short phone numbers.

Here's how the building looked two years ago, as Bay Motors. It was also the Goodyear Tire Centre before that for a number of years.

Thanks again to all who donate or loan photos to us at Hot Rods and Jalopies. All we ask here is that any photos used from here are given publication credit to this blog page. We also welcome comments at any time and corrections if you feel they are needed.

Always be sure to click on all the pictures once and sometimes twice to see them in a larger format!

Thanks for looking....Dave

"WHEN THERE WAS THUNDER"........... by Dick Spooner

2011-08-30T00:13:00.007-04:00

Well, its official….Dick Spooner’s latest creation “When There Was Thunder” was officially released into print on July 26, 2011 at our “Backroom 400” dinner with 9 apostles in attendance at Boston Pizza on Memorial Ave. The predominant building in this picture which is still there today is of course the CLE Coliseum as well as many of the homes along Northern Ave.

The "Backroom 400" was initially called the “Backyard 400” held at Ron Limbrick’s home every July 1^st weekend starting a number of years ago with some famous guests in attendance in those days such as Bud Heidrick, Glen Kettering, Louis Tocheri, Red Marsonet, Merv Dove, etc. etc., some of whom are not with us today.
Merv Dove graciously took over the event for the last few years as a dinner get together. The whole thing has gone on for about 12 years or so.

Dick Spooner of local art fame….you can see his complete website and profile by clicking here http://my.tbaytel.net/sunrise_shores/ was commissioned or we should say encouraged to do a piece on the CLE track from the late 1950’s. It all started in 2009 with a sketch on a McDonald’s restaurant napkin shown here. The original sketch showed the 4th corner but the final piece shows turn 1 and 2. This was featured on this blog page some time back. Click here then come back http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2009/06/dick-spooners-napkin-art.html

After much serious thought and input from a few others, Dick finished his wonderful piece and did release it on the above noted date. Merv Dove driving the famed #31 stock car back then, and who has hosted the dinners for the past number of years was elected by Dick to be in first place. You will note that many of the other race car numbers are somewhat generic, as not to offend anyone I suppose.

In attendance left to right starting at the back was Dennis Winko, Dick Spooner, Bob Walker, Dave Cano, Ron Limbrick, Jim Hamer, Merv Dove, Volker Lehmann, and Alan Yahn. Missing from the picture and this specific dinner was Gary Jansekovich, and Tom Kusznier.

Merv himself was honoured to have print #1, Allan Yahn has print #2, and I have print #3. If you are interested in owning one of these wonderful prints, you can contact Dick directly at his website. They are 11" X 17" overall and a limited quantity of only 110 will be produced.

I was honoured by Dick to be told that it was me in the white jacket and cap selling cokes at the races. That was the only way I could get in for free and still afford to go roller skating at the Fort William Gardens on Friday night…LOL.

Be sure to click on all photos to enlarge them.......and a HUGE thanks to Dick Spooner for the wonderful art piece that we have patiently been waiting for for quite awhile!!!

A Huge Then and Now at the Fairgrounds.........1955 to 2010

2011-08-10T23:26:00.004-04:00

Here is some more interesting data about our CLE...The Canadian Lakehead Exhibition grounds. The following two photos are before and after photos. The first one was taken in 1955 and the second one was extracted from Google Earth and a relatively current photo of about 2010.

The changes are very dramatic, and the only two buildings shown in the photos that existed then and today are the CLE Coliseum shown in light blue in both photos, and the CLE Auditorium that is used mainly for Bingo games today. The following is what the circled items used to be.

The lime green shows the main part of the midway and was accessible by crossing the river by a walking bridge.
The red shows where the walking bridge was.
The dark blue in the centre of the picture is the Grandstand and entertainment stage.....this was also used as the judges stand for the stock car races.
The pink rectangle in the lower centre was the "Welcome to Port Arthur" arch talked about in this blog before.
The purple rectangle at the bottom was the "Super-Sonic car wash". This building is still used today for a number of different businesses.
The Street along the bottom of both pictures is May Street, and on the left side of the old photo, Memorial Ave starts just left/north of the river. The trees along both sides of Memorial Ave., planted in memory of fallen soldiers during WWI and WWII have since been removed for street widening etc. I would like to see the city re-plant those trees along Memorial Ave and re-dedicate Memorial Ave to what it was meant to be, a "memorial" to fallen soldiers of both wars!!

In this new photo there are a number of geographical changes. The largest being the widening of the river and also the re-routing of the river somewhat. This was done to alleviate flooding problems from both the McIntyre and Neebing rivers to homes and business east of Fort William Road. Another was the "Dorothy Dove" building roof shown with a white roof at the bottom right of the old picture, and the changes noted to the roof in the new picture shown in blue just to the right of the Yellow Auditorium building. The race track, grandstand, and all the barns that fan out between the Coliseum and the Grandstand were all torn down to accommodate our new Golf Dome and Silver City Theatre both shown in the centre of the new photo.
My personal thought is that the CLE and midway should be moved to a better place, such as the Thunder Bay Agriplex or maybe Current River Park, since the grounds have been pretty much taken over by the movie theatre and the dome.
Click on the photos to enlarge...........JUST MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT!!! ...and an old picture showing how it was.

The Canadian Lakehead Exhibition 1947.......plus other year's events.......

2011-08-09T00:30:00.004-04:00

With this year's local Canadian Lakehead Exhibition on August 10th, I thought it fitting to add some nostalgia to Fair Week. The local Times Journal ad here was from 1947 with the Grandstand show being called "Cameos of 1947". This ad has appeared in this blog before. Note that the midway was the famed "Royal American Shows". Grandstand entertainment was also Jimmy Lynch's "Death Dodgers" and a 1947 Mercury was given away to some lucky person in attendance.

This original Canadian Lakehead Exhibition iron sign still exists on the CLE grounds. From my collection here is a 1963 ticket stub when the fair ran a full 8 days

An original Canadian Lakehead Exhibition "Jimmie Lynch's Death Dodgers" poster is shown here from the Fort William and Port Arthur days.

Two Royal American Shows posters from the day are shown here....note that they both state "Worlds Largest Midway"....and I believe they were right. When our fairgrounds extended across the river, there were tons of rides, other midway attractions, and many other thrill shows. I remember vividly that one of Hitler's bullet proof cars were on display as well as oddities such as mutant animals and disfigured human beings.

Here is what the giveaway car looked like in 1947. One lucky person or family won this great family car.

Like most guys, their favourite midway ride was the bumper cars. Dodgem was one of the popular brand names for some of the early cars. Before you could ever get behind the wheel of your dad's car, you could drive one of these and run into anyone you pleased. One would show off by running into the cute girl drivers the most. These old bumper cars have become quite collectible in their own right today, as well as the old canvas banners as shown here.

A smile from ear to ear...........

NUNS on Dodgems....how quaint....Nuns have to have some fun too!! Notice that they are all wearing cool shades so no-one can recognize them....... :-)

Here are some very old bumper cars reminicent of early midget racers.....

A good one on the left... :-) This is what was allowed in California until January of 2010. Old retrofitted bumper cars with chain drive Kawasaki engines and leather interiors were allowed on the street until it was noted that it was a mistake by field staff at the DMV and all registrations were revoked.....Only in America! These cars no longer have California plates but were very cool all the same!

Here is one incredible thrill show from the 1930's. I remember seeing motorcycle and go-kart ones like these at the CLE in the 1950's

From my own collection, this is what a typical lat 1950's CLE Grandstand sign would look like. The Annex would be the area to the north of the Grandstand that wasn't covered.

This is also a typical view from the Grandstand during a Championship or race night event!

Here is an old 8mm preview Championship race that took place in the late 1950s showing the local hero's of the day. Click on the little arrow on the left to start and click on the 4 arrow icon on the bottom right to enlarge to full screen.
FINALLY...Here is a link to another post on this blog regarding the old CLE of past years...CLICK HERE http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2010/06/canadian-lakehead-exhibitioncoming.html
A huge thanks to all who donated photos and film clips to this post and many of the others!!
Be sure to click on all photos to enlarge them a bit.

Al Pomanti's Mystery Hot Rod plus....His dad's 1949 GMC Panel Truck......

2011-08-05T12:59:00.001-04:00

Well, here is the mystery Hot Rod taken by Al Pomanti's brother-in-law way back in 1961. The photo was taken at Kakabeka Falls, about 18 miles west of Fort William and Port Arthur(Thunder Bay, Ontario).

Here's a little closer look, but a little fuzzy. The '32 Ford 5-window coupe is chopped and channeled with bobbed rear fenders and cycle fenders on the front. It sports a '32 Ford chopped grille, oval Nerf bars and cutout exhaust tips in case you need to race...! ...WOW...Period perfect. Does anyone know who this car belongs to whether it be a local owner or was just passing through the Lakehead??

Here is Al's Dad's brand new 1949 GMC panel truck visor and all.....Al says it came new with a radio and a passenger seat which was uncommon for delivery vehicles at the time. The photos below show the address of "City Plumbing and Heating" when this photo was taken and a later location from a 1959/60 Fort William and Port Arthur phone book.

The photo at the left is the business location in 1949 when the vehicle was purchased at 188 S. Algoma in Port Arthur. The photo on the right is the location at 238 N. Cumberland Street that was noted in the 1959/60 local phone book

Thanks to Al Pomanti for the hot rod photos and the story about his dad's business and the cool panel truck.

Be sure to click on the photos to enlarge them somewhat!

Would the REAL Johnny's Texaco please stand up.....with further additions and a new tidbit...

2011-07-23T23:57:00.006-04:00

Even at Hot Rods and Jalopies mistakes can happen, but only if the information given is incorrect. Well, here we have an example. In this following post it was stated that this first photo was Barry Ketterings service station later to become Johnny Zatti's station on May Street in Fort William(you know...now Thunder Bay).
click here then come back - http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2011/07/barry-and-johnny.html It was Barry Kettering's Station back in '61, but it was actually in Rice Lake Wisconsin where Barry had initially moved. This current updated information is thanks to the sharp investigation by my friend Al Yahn and backed up by Don Zatti and his aunt Rene Kettering(Barry's Wife). The next photo taken from a 1960's CLE racing program is the real Johnny's Texaco that was on May Street in Fort William. I hope this clarifies any questions about the original photo :-) ...that is a sideways smile. Thanks Al, Don and Rene.

The Real Johnny's Texaco 520 N. May Street Fort William

Here is a nice photo of the actual Club 17 Tavern from an old post card submitted by Jim Jorgenson awhile back and was misplaced, but found and added to this post. The small picture here is how the property looks now at the corner of Valhalla Inn Drive and Arthur Street. The original post can be found at this link. Click here then come back http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2011/05/club-17-tedaires-trio-and-early-racing.html

One more addition to this post also submitted by Jim Jorgenson is the original Double G Pizza place. The photo is from the late 1950s and was located at 470 High Street in Port Arthur at the intersection of Memorial Ave and High Street. They had the best Pizza's in town. The Double G building later burned to the ground. The structure next door to the Double G was Pang's Chinese Restaurant as noted in a 1962 local phone book, later, an Italian Restaurant and the final number of years ended up as a strip bar with the last name being "Private I's Show Bar". The Double G building used to be located next to the current A&W Restaurant on Memorial Ave. The Pang's/Strip bar building was next door to the north and was torn down this past year and is now an empty lot. Double G was the Pizza of choice for many years even when they moved to their later locations at 143 E. Frederica Street in Fort William and on 285 Bay Street in Port Arthur(as noted in a 1962 phone book). Now, there are 2 empty lots at the address. Thanks to Al Pomanti and Bill Exell for the corrections here!

This is how the Pangs/Private I's building looked shortly before it was demolished.

Thanks to Jim Jorgenson for copies of the advertising post cards of Club 17 and Double G.
Be sure to click on all photos once and twice for x-large!

The St. Louis Hotel - by special request........

2011-07-09T23:28:00.004-04:00

These first two pictures, one from the horse and buggy days and the other from the early 1930's show where the St. Louis Hotel was....on the corner of Victoria Ave and North St. It was an icon of the hotel and dining business for many years and the building was actually 113 years old. During that time it went through many changes in its architectural look, mainly the removal(or change) to the mansard style roof on the 3rd floor as seen in the first photo, and later the squaring off of the first floor windows. The brick was also painted a number of colours through the years, the final colour being a creamy yellow as shown in the 3rd photo.

This is how the old place looked days before its demolition.

This is how the property looked shortly after demolition.

This is a Victoria Ave. view of the property as it looks today. The Royal Theatre was just next door and next to the Royal was the Commerce Bank. Both those buildings stand today but the Commerce Bank is just a facade and completely empty behind.

Here is a menu pad from the famed "Little Red Room", and a menu cover from the Beacon Room. My parents frequented the restaurant there in the 1950's and was consided one of the best places to eat here at the Lakehead cities of Fort William and Port Arthur. A page from the Beacon Room bar shows a shot of Rye for 44 cents, Rum at 45 cents and cocktails between 65 cents and one dollar.

Here are a couple of match book covers from The Little Red Room showing two different phone numbers and both being pre 1960. The entrance for the bar and restaurant was off North Street.
I can't believe that it was demolished 6 years ago already...how time flies.
To read the article from the paper, you will have to click on each half to read the left then right column. Be sure to click twice on all photos and clippings to enlarge them.

Typically our city tears down historic buildings before the so-called bleeding hearts can complain enough to save them. It has happened many times in the past and many others are noted in this website. As noted in the above article, historic buildings are tourist attractions but here in Thunder Bay, they just tear them down. Just drive around our city and see the new construction that has taken place in just one year, over the top of many of our historic structures.

Barry and Johnny.......

2011-07-08T00:44:00.004-04:00

Here is an interesting tidbit. You will notice in the 1961 B&W photo that above the door on this service station it says none other than Barry Kettering as the propriator. This building was located at 520 North May Street. The interesting information is that this station was soon to become Johnny's Texaco which belonged to Johnny Zatti. Barry and Johnny were brothers-in-law. The address on google today shows this empty lot which is just to the north of Thunder Country Diving and Rollie's Cigar Shop on May Street. New Data corrects the above information click here to see story.... http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2011/07/would-real-johnnys-texaco-please-stand.html

Here are a couple of matchbook covers from Johnny's Texaco both from the same era as the B&W photo above. The MA in front of the first matchbook cover stood for Mayfair, later to become 6-2 in front of all 5 digit numbers. The second cover here was from 1960 just before the Mayfair thing started.

This is a typical ad that you would see in the local newspapers in the late 1950's. What great entertainment was offered for a dollar for adults and 50 cents for kids.

Here is Barry as he looked after winning the 1958 Championship

Johnny as he appeared in a Newspaper ad in the mid 50's

Here's a nice photo of Johnny in front of his Texaco Station showing that Stock Car Racing wasn't his only sport!!

Barry - When he was driving his #47 car.....the #57 and the famed Red/White paint job came in the same year as his number...1957.

Johnny and (I'm not sure) his son? Is it you Don?

Thanks to Don Zatti and Rene Kettering for some of these clips and photos. Click on the following link to read more about Johnny's service archived in this blog site, then come back.
http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2010/11/johnnys-texaco-service-johnny-zatti.html
More interesting things about Barry Kettering to come....click on all picture once or twice to enlarge. Thanks for visiting........Dave

Tribute to Barry Kettering, Local Hero, Fearless Racer and Fine Gentleman.....

2011-06-06T22:58:00.006-04:00

This coming Saturday, June 11, 2011 commemorates the 35th anniversary of the passing of our own local hero Barry Kettering, well known in racing circles locally and throughout the mid western USA. As a young local boy, I had the privilege of meeting and talking with Barry on a number of occasions, at their service station, riding on the Kettering truck down to the races at the CLE, and a few times with his wife Rene( I don't believe they were married yet) at my grandmother's home on Heron St. Myself and my little friends had built a number of push mobiles with the famous #47 and #57 on the side and proudly brought the car down to Kettering's garage to show Glen and Barry our car. They always made us feel welcome and never discouraged us from our endeavours.

As a tribute to Barry, "Hot Rods and Jalopies" is proudly reprinting an incredible article about Barry by the well known racing journalist Marsh Muirhead from "Open Wheel Magazine" originally printed in the November 1984 issue. "Open Wheel" has since merged with "Stock Car Racing Magazine". Please click on the article once then twice to enlarge and read the complete story below.....
More about Barry in this blog by clicking on each of the following two links:
http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2009/06/barry-kettering-stock-car-jockey-part-1.html and
http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2009/06/barry-kettering-stock-car-jockey-part-2.html

A little video memory....

We still miss you Barry and will always remember you! Thanks to all those who have donated photos to this website through the last two years as noted in the information to the side of the web page, and thanks to the former Open Wheel Magazine and Marsh Muirhead for the inspiring article.

Martin Autio "The Flying Finn", Sponsorship and Fan Base 1953/54...

2011-05-31T00:48:00.006-04:00

Here is Martin in his 1930's Ford Coupe looking great along the back stretch of the CLE racetrack in 1953. The next pic is Martin himself driving his decked out Ford pickup with that flying #21 painted in the side of his truck as well. Looks like Martin was not just named the Flying Finn because on the side of his car it also says "Fooch". The writing along the top of the car proudly says "Master Cleaners" phone 37701 as noted on the advertising below.

This was a great day for Martin as he took 3 first places on August 27th, 1953, and also managed to finish 8th out of 10th in points for the 1953 racing season. John Zatti had also set a new time trial track record....click on the article twice to read it all. As racing fans of the local track you will also recognize many of the other drivers here, a few of which are still with us to this day....but many sadly are not. The entertainment given us by these great guys were second to none! My album states that this last photo from Brian Skedgel's collection is also Martin(correct me if I'm wrong here!)

"Master Cleaners and Tailors" and "Twin City Shoe Hospital" sponsored many a car and driver in those early years and in turn the fans supported the businesses. Sponsorship was crucial to help with expenses for car and driver. Here is a present day photo of the same building where Master Cleaners handled their business at 1023 Victoria Ave. It is right next to Breeny's Auto Body.....and Breeny's used to be Red Marsonet's Service Station....all of this right along our old cruisin' strip in Fort William.

This 1953 program cover which has appeared before in this blog site shows the sheer amount of people that attended the races right here in Fort William and Port Arthur. The last photo is of Peter Medwid(writer for the Port Arthur News Chronicle in 1954) who summed it up by noting that additional bleachers were added to accommodate and ADDITIONAL 2800 fans at the old CLE race track..........Oh!....how we long for those good ol' days!!

Thanks for coming back again and again to this blog page, and hope you have enjoyed the stories and pictures.

Be sure to click on the pictures once and some twice!

CRUISIN' THE DUB 2011....Don't miss Sunday nights at the A & W!!

2011-05-23T18:21:00.017-04:00

A new season starts this Sunday night at 6:30pm at the A&W on Memorial Ave. right here in Thunder Bay. Also be sure to get your entry in to win a specially prepared Harley Motorcycle before the closing date on May 29. Click here for more details and to enter http://www.aw.ca/

Here is Larry's letter on the details. NEXT here and continued below is a bit of A&W History that some of you many not know about!!

Here are a couple of old A&W photos from somewhere in North America showing the original Cruise Night drive-ins....Gotta love the logo in the first picture, "If you Drive, Drink A&W Root Beer". That's a great motto for today as well. Also check out some of the prices on the front of the drive-in in the second photo here.

To add to the interest here in Canada, is a little A&W Canadian history too. The last picture here is of my grand-daughter and Patrick Wilson's daughter taken last year at "Cruising the Dub 2010".
I am going to try a few more links here...hope they work! First is an old A&W Radio jingle heard in the late 1950's click here http://www.radiowest.ca/sound/a&w.mp3
The next is a link to local vintage A&W photos and items of interest on this blog done last year http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/search?q=a%26w ...be sure to view them and come back.
Thanks to Lawrence at A&W for hosting the long awaited "Cruisin' the Dub" right here in Thunder Bay!
Click on all pictures and stories to enlarge them(some twice)!!

Club "17", The Tedaires Trio and Early Racing Sponsorship....

2011-05-15T21:43:00.030-04:00

It is always interesting how local racing lore and local history in general overlap each other, particularly during the 1950's and 1960's. The Club "17" story here is a prime example. You will have to read the whole post to get the total story.

Here we have an early Ford jalopy, about a 1936 coupe with #17 on the side....not just any #17 but sporting Club "17" Tavern. It was very obvious that Club "17" was the major sponsor of this Jalopy. The next picture is the racing roster from 1953, clearly showing a Mr. B. Martin driving the #17 car.

The Tavern was on the corner of Highway 17, which is West Arthur Street now, and Neebing Avenue, hence...Club "17" Tavern. It was an extremely popular place to go to dine and dance and at that time it was actually in the country.(The property is well within city limits now). It was a somewhat middle class establishment and you could get a very nice dinner with some top notch entertainment at a reasonable cost, or you could rent the whole place for a wedding reception or small convention.

The first item here is a matchbook cover from the 1950's or early 1960's. The 1959 phone book clipping is next showing many of the local haunts from the same era. The next shot is a few swizzle sticks showing both Fort William and Thunder Bay on them.(Remembering that Fort William and Port Arthur were amalgamated into the city of Thunder Bay in 1970.) The last photo is a couple of different 1970's glasses from my collection, both showing Thunder Bay on them.

One more matchbook cover showing Thunder Bay. The next image is that of the cover of the Lakehead Guest. The Lakehead Guest was published for many years as a tourist brochure showing all the great things to see and do in the Lakehead Cities of Fort William and Port Arthur. This 1968 brochure was loaned to me to copy by my friend Bill Exell who actually appears in a photo in the last image here. He is playing the Chordovox for a group called the "Tedaires Trio" along with Louis Clowes on rhythm guitar and Jack Miskelly on drums...Where?? You guessed it....right here at the Club "17 Tavern. Jack and Louis passed away over the years but Bill is still around and playing keyboard, but mainly for his own entertainment now. Bill also restores vintage Ford cars one of which is seen by scrolling down in this post. I also have the privilege in knowing Louis Clowes son Bill, a local antique entrepreneur with his family always giving him a hand.

On this page of the Lakehead Guest is another ad showing the Club "17" Tavern and the Tedaires Trio playing. This next photo(a studio photo for advertising) and the one below also belong to Bill Exell who graciously loaned them to me for this post.....What handsome dudes!!

On the left is Louis Clowes, in the middle is Jack Miskelly and Bill Exell is on the right in the B&W photo. The colour photo here is Bill taken last summer at the A&W Cruise night with his 1956 Ford Fairlane Convertible....Very cool Bill!!

WHERE WAS CLUB "17" Tavern...

This is the only rendition I have of what it looked like back in the 1950's with a 1955 Oldsmobile parked out front. If you go west out what is now Arthur Street past the expressway and turn left at Neebing Avenue to go to the Valhalla Inn, you will see an Enterprise Rental place(a Robin's Donuts before that) on the south/west corner of Arthur and Neebing......that is where Club "17" was. It was around until the late 1970's then disappeared along with many local establishments that had a tough time competing with chain restaurants and taverns. These places are sadly gone forever, but were always helping out local folks such as the stock car and jalopy guys of that era, sponsoring them to keep their cars running and helping to entertain all of us during the Hot Rods and Jalopy era........

Thanks again to Bill Exell for the Tedaires Trio photos and for the use of the Lakehead Guest 1968.

Be sure to click on all pictures(sometimes twice) to enlarge to full and readable size...

More Then and Nows from Fort William and Port Arthur, Ontario(Thunder Bay)....

2011-04-24T23:49:00.017-04:00

Long overdue on this blog page are a few of my favourite "Then and Nows" .....with help from the Brill Bus era in Fort William and Port Arthur, Ontario!

This intersection at Fort William Road and 11th ave shows an incredible amount of changes and differences between the 1968 and 2010 photos. The big item here is of course the CNR ore trestle shown in the background of the first photo which has long been scrapped. The next item is the fact that two sets of tracks were once there. The next item is the lack of sidewalks on Fort William Road in the first one and also that the road was only two lanes of traffic compared to four lanes now. An outstanding difference is the incredible amount of overhead wires and telephone poles in the first photo, as compared to the lack of same in the colour photo. Finally, the wooden fence for Lakehead Scrap Metal is long gone as shown in the first photo.

Thanks again to the Scalzo Collection for a picture of the Brill bus just west of the Red River Road and Hodge Street corner taken in about 1969. The bus photo clearly shows a little corner store which is so rare to see on any street corner today. In the 2010 photo the house on the right is still there with a few minor changes and the corner store is now just a residential home. I sure miss those great little corner stores with racks of penny candy to spend our copper coins on.

This one may be a little difficult to figure out....the 1969 Brill Bus photo shows the bus just crossing Junot Street and heading east down Red River Road. It also shows a Texaco Station on the North/West corner which is now a Shell Station. The Shell Station sign on the north/east corner of the new photo is a current design which replaced the old style sign in the bus photo. Both these photos were taken at the same angle at the exact same location.

No one really knew what "The Arcade" meant on the facade of the building in the very early Brill bus photo(maybe it really was an arcade at some time or another). This building still exists today with the same facade "The Arcade". If you can't remember where this is......it's directly across from the old day and current day CPR station on South Syndicate Ave.........my how things change!!! ....but not totally.

Here is the old Bank of Montreal Building as shown in about 1948 in the Brill Bus photo. The rubber tired Brill Trollys were just starting up in the Lakehead cities then. The building with the shoe store is now long gone, but the unique corner BMO building still stands today as solid as the structure was back in the late 1940's.

Click on photos to enlarge(sorry but most of these are in fairly small format)!

Happy Easter 2011.....

2011-04-23T20:52:00.010-04:00

Well...It's been 2 years Hot Rods and Jalopies has been on the web......just wanted to wish all our followers and anyone who dropped by over the past two years a Happy and Blessed Easter....Thanks for watching and keep in touch.... Dave and Family at HR&J

Here's a couple of little Easter cards but do you know why the pig is disguised as the Easter Bunny? ........scroll down to see the next picture.

This is a 1938 advertisement from Good Housekeeping magazine showing what Snow White and the Seven dwarfs are having for Easter dinner......Oh Yes and then we need to have a couple of Easter Greetings with jalopies....right??

Finally, what every hot rod guy wants in his Easter basket............a set of CHOCOLATE tools....where can I get some!!!!
Click on all pictures to enlarge!!

Twin City Gas, Kings Stereo and The Tropics.......

2011-04-19T23:14:00.019-04:00

Most guys will say that the most important things in life when he was a teenager was Hot Rods, girls, rock 'n' roll and burgers 'n' fries, and in no particular order. When the Twin City Gas building was torn down last year to accommodate the new court house in downtown Fort William, a ton of memories came flooding back.

Here was the Twin City Gas building, actually not that old as it was built in the late 1950's. It eventually became known as the King's Stereo building, as owner Howard King purchased the building that housed his forever remembered stereo store.

You would walk through the main doors and go down the stairs instead of right into King's Stereo, then you'd be in the Tropics Restaurant, well known for its excellent cuisine, including the typical standards as well as Chinese. The Tropics was a great spot to go for a first date......a little better than the Lorna Doone but still on the affordable side. It was also frequented by many folks that attended evening functions at the Fort William Gardens, and then wanted a good place to go eat and gab after the event. It was also a favourite spot after attending movies at the Capitol Theatre or the Odeon here in what used to be a thriving downtown Fort William.

Next: The Menu

Scroll Down....don't miss all the story....

.....and WOW...check out the prices...a club steak for $2.85, and a hamburger steak sandwich for only 40 cents.

I met Howard King back then as many young guys had, as he had some of the best stereo equipment in the Lakehead, and also the best prices. Howard was quite a gentleman too, as you could also cut a good deal on the latest stereo supplies. I had purchased a number of items from King's through the years and when the Tropics closed, everything kind of remained like it once was down the stairs for a few years until I got wind that Howard had purchased all the inventory. Being in the store one day it got out that Howard was going to sell the Seeburg M100C Jukebox that I had listened to in the tropics a number of years before. It was going to auction until I made Howard an offer that he couldn't refuse and it has been in my rec room ever since. It needed some restoration and a tweek every so often, but remains to this day as the favourite item I have collected over time. In later years I had also acquired a complete soda fountain that was also in The Tropics from Mr. King, which was so heavy that four guys couldn't even lift it. I had it stored at a friends place and it basically disappeared over time.

Here is my Seeburg M100C as it is today, with all the old 45's inside. This specific model was the one that you saw at the beginning of every Happy Days episode and it also appeared in many Elvis films. I had read somewhere that this particular model was Elvis' favourite Jukebox.

Next: The End!

So, We all miss King's Stereo(T.C. Gas building), and the old Tropics restaurant.....and like everything else good in our lives, it all has to come to an end. Thank you Howard for the privilege of knowing you and the joy that was preserved by selling that Jukebox to me. Sorry...It's NOT for sale!

Click on all photos to enlarge!

History of the North American Drive-in........by Steve Miller

2011-04-13T20:36:00.031-04:00

Here is a project that I had planned for over a year now and just got all the articles together to go ahead. My good friend Steve Miller, writer, car aficionado, musician, model car builder, etc, etc., had written a number of articles for the now defunct "Canadian Classics and Performance" Magazine. He had made a number of local car enthusiasts famous by writing feature stories about them and their cars in the pages of the same magazine. He wrote toy car, car modeling, model tech articles, and many others all related to, or associated with our hobby.
One of my favourites that I think stood out the most was the photo and story series from 2003 on the "History of the North American Drive-In", which is featured here in its entirety on Hot Rods and Jalopies. Remember, North America does encompass Canada, and we all know that diners and drive-ins go hand in hand with rock and roll, girls, guys and hot rods.
Steve's writing career was too short lived as the magazine had ended, but the years he devoted to his articles and the time he spent showed that he was a writer to be reckoned with. Apples don't fall to far from the tree in Steve's family as his father Ron(whom I was privileged to meet) was an acclaimed chef and writer for many outdoors magazines including "The Outdoor Edge" and had also written a few cooking and outdoors books of his own.
Steve's knowledge in the car world came naturally too as he spent most of his teenage years wrenching, painting and handling custom body work at his grandfather's shop in Lafayette, Indiana....also where Steve was born. These talents continued into Canada in his younger years as he moved here to marry Jean, the love of his life.
I was drawn to Steve quite a few years back, by his acute knowledge of the custom and hot rod world especially the California car culture of the 1950's and 1960's, by his musical talents which I have learned tons from, and the best by his gift of gab, which helped add many hours kibitzing about our shared interests.
So, take your time, click twice if needed on each photo page to get it full screen size and read away....leave it and come back again and again until you have read it all. It's well worth it. Great job Steve.... and thanks, Dave. This fairly recent picture of Steve was taken during a mutual model car display at a local Model Railroad show!

Thanks again to Steve for his talents and friendship!

CLE Grandstand late 1950's and early 1960's.....

2011-03-31T17:21:00.018-04:00

The CLE grandstand which stood approximately where the centre hallway of the Silver City Movie theatre is today was filled to capacity every Wednesday night in the 1950's and the early 1960's to watch stock car racing(jalopy racing as some would call it) to the thrill of thousands who attended. It was probably the most watched and supported sport here in Fort William and Port Arthur(well maybe next to hockey).
The common denominator for these next 10 photos is the grandstand. These photos clearly show its size and the thousands of spectators who attended.

Here is Glen Kettering giving his brother Barry a pep talk during a pause in one of the races(person behind his car is unknown). Note Barry's cut down coupe(what hot rodders call channeled). It was such a beautiful car that it could very well have made hot rod status for the street. Barry's fans lined up along the fence to view their idol(are you there? ...I am somewhere). The next picture which I have featured before again shows the crowds in the grandstand viewing a typical controversy with Louis Tocheri. Gotta love Louis' deuce 5 window coupe.

Tons of people again in these photos... the first one showing Albert Massaro #88 smiling directly at the camera and behind him is #13 Wes Inkster, who had a very tragic accident at the CLE track in the '50's which ended his driving career. #46 is Bill Machinski behind the wheel of his Plymouth coupe. Also note the extra seats between the grandstand and the fence. They were added due to the influx of more and more racing fans.

Here is a little incident between #54 Wally Prokosh and the Potter and Kerr driver Johnny Zatti. Off in the distance on the left is the packed grandstand as usual. #15 here is Lorne Morin's car with Merv Dove's borrowed engine(that's the typical gentleman that Merv Dove was). I believe it is a Plymouth 3 window coupe all cut down as they all started to do in the early 1960's.

Here is #2 Jerry Lepinski from the USA with his famed 1932 Ford 2-door sedan...another one that was beautiful enough to be street driven. Of course the grandstand is filled to capacity. The next picture shows the empty grandstand and gives you an idea of how huge it was. The cars in this photo are unknown.

Coming near the end of the racing years at the CLE track, these two colour photos show the beginning of the Late Model stock car years and the beginning of the super mods and sprint car era here. These photos were taken at the 1965 International Dirt Track Championships at the good ol' CLE track. Seeing these last photos almost brings a tear to the eye as it was truly the end of an era at the CLE track and of course the beginning of another era 2 years after these photos were taken, at Riverview Raceways, out highway 61.
Thanks to all those that took these wonderful photos for us to enjoy forever!!
Click on all photos once or twice to enlarge to screen size!

The Colonial Theatre, 235 Arthur Street, Port Arthur, Ontario.....

2011-03-06T18:46:00.020-05:00

Wow....Look a those cool old cars in front of the Colonial Theatre!! .... scroll down and click on all photos!!

Not to be outdone by the prestigious other theatres in Fort William and Port Arthur such as the Orpheum where the likes of actors from Stratford-On-Avon in England played to sell out crowds and the Lyceum, well known for its premium vaudeville acts, the Colonial Theatre opened on June 4, 1914 to rave reviews. It was referred to as "The Theatre Beautiful".
1100 patrons attended opening night and the Minneapolis Symphony entertained. It had comfortable roomy seats, was very well ventilated(lots of smokers in those days), and had a new incredible radium gold fibre screen to show the finest details of film in that era.
The opening night motion picture was called "Grant Morden". It was a film featuring a giant freighter by the same name recently launched at the Port Arthur shipyards.
If you strain your eyes and click on the photo to enlarge it you will see that "The Eddie Cantor Story" was playing.
Arthur Street then is now Red River Road after the amalgamation of Fort William and Port Arthur in 1970 into the present city of Thunder Bay.
NEXT - another photo view and film

This next 1940's photo of the beautiful Colonial shows its detail and the fact that "City for Conquest" is playing, starring James Cagney and Ann Sheridan. The mini film is actually a sneak preview of the film....hope it works.
The final view of the Colonial is taken about 1940 as well with a neat old 30's car in front of the theatre. "Caught in the Draft" was playing with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.

The last few pictures here is a lobby poster from "Caught in the Draft", a poster from the early Colonial Days and finally a Bourke's Drug Store matchbook cover. The address is shown as 224 Arthur Street, which is now Red River Road in Port Arthur. The last Colonial photo above shows where Bourke's Drug store was located on RR Road.
Click on all photos and posters to enlarge them!

Lakehead Stock Car Club Tidbits from the Past!!

2011-02-19T15:47:00.023-05:00

It's nice, mid winter to go back through the old stock car photos and ponder upon some of the crazy goings on that took place during the Lakehead Stock Car Club days, back at the old Canadian Lakehead Exhibition race track......this one caught my eye, talking about kids, and adults too cheap to spend two bits to come and sit in the grandstand and view the races how they were supposed to be viewed. Click on the clipping and the photos to enlarge them. Lets go back to 1954.

Here is the clipping and here is Jim Manduca in the ditch going into corner three. Now look close at the third picture cut out of the middle one...you can see these kids in the trees(you can hardly make them out) trying to get a glimpse of their favourite driver, and in this case lucky to be alive as Jim almost clobbered the tree and knocked the kids clean out!!! HEY...I think that's me in the middle!!

Here is the picture and the close up just above Barry Kettering's famed #47 of a threesome just waiting to be hit. Another thing spectators did was to park their trucks as close as they could to the board fence of the track and stand on the box or roof. They must have forgotten that some stock car jockeys would actually take out about 100 feet of fence on occasion.

Here is another one showing all the cheap skates on the other side of the fence and on the far right of the first picture, they are actually standing on the roof of the house across Northern Ave. I wouldn't take a chance falling off my house to save a quarter!!! Would you?

This one shows American driver Jerry Richert's car and sure enough, a ton of folks looking through an opening in the fence already created by an out of control stock jock....yet they still stand there.
Next...Stock Car Club in "HOLE"?

Here is a typical write up regarding our city council and the Lakehead Stock Car Club back in 1963 arguing about Sunday racing. Reading these two articles reminds me of some of the stuff in today's newspaper....you know....wasting time about petty stuff instead of getting something important done!! Its a good read and a good laugh.
Next - High Flyers!

The photographers who took these two photos were either incredible or just lucky to have shown flying tires in both photos. The first one is an unknown driver tossing his tire while negotiating the #1 turn, also known as the barn turn at the CLE track. These barns would be located just to the south side of the present day Golf Dome at the CLE. The second photo is of Murray Simmons, just ejecting his tire as well. See how high they travelled....it's a miracle that no one was ever struck by one that I remember. The other notable thing is that if you look close there are big holes in both wheels which tells me that the whole center of the wheel came out on both occasions. Finally take note in the Simmons photo of the Coliseum building that still stands today in relation to the track.
Finally - Puffs :-)

Here is a very cool clipping and group photo of the Powder Puff Racing Girls of the Lakehead Stock Car Club. This was one of the popular race events that took place back in the early 1950's. These photos were taken in 1953. The guys that loaned their cars to these girls were chewing down on their finger nails until the race was over, as they still needed their own cars to compete for the rest of the day. The last photo is how the pictures appeared in the 1953 LSCC program.
Thanks for looking.....hope you enjoyed this one... Dave
Click on all photos to enlarge!

Winter Storms Bring Winter Memories.....

2011-02-04T23:23:00.014-05:00

The recent storms in the mid western and eastern USA and Canada conjure up a ton of winter memories as a kid. It was pretty cool(no pun intended) to see winter scenes in 1950's car brochures and on billboards, since Fort William and Port Arthur was covered in that white stuff for at least six months of the year. The ads would show that these cars were also very hardy in the winter months as well as in summer.

Here is a bright red 1956 Buick hardtop and a metallic green 1954 Chrysler cruising along one of our slippery highways possibly in Northwestern Ontario. The first picture also shows some ice sailing and a few skiers. What incredible art work for their day. Also remember how tough it was to keep those white sidewalls clean in the winter.

Here's a 1936 Canadian Prestone ad from Liberty magazine. The art work is always great in these old ads.
Pyroil was a super additive for your oil. I would imagine it was similar to STP. It would decrease the friction from the metal to metal cold winter starts. Pyroil still makes many engine and fuel additives to this day.

Willard still makes batteries to this day as well. I always enjoy the wonderful art work that was on billboards back in the '40's and '50's. This is a US Mobilgas winter urban ad that would have appeared in Life or Post magazine.

Another automobile ad from the 1940's is Pyro anti-freeze. Pyro is another company that survived the test of time to continue to produce many automotive additives to this day including rust inhibitor and brake fluids.
The Firestone studded tires in this ad looked like they could plough through anything. It took from this ad to the present day to perfect studded tires for the street. After a few accidents from studs coming out of the tires and injuring people, they were outlawed for the street for many years, but I believe you can buy studded tires again. Check out the cool old Skidoo in the same ad as well.

Here is a beautiful piece of architectural work. Many service stations were designed to look like homes or mansions to appear friendly and inviting to the customer. Today's gas only and/or convenience store(definitely without service) are boring edifices in our modern day compared to then. The last winter billboard style art piece is of a beautiful 1960 Wide-track Pontiac at a ski resort...what beautiful lines.
Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge them!