Chicago's Pullman National Monument-- Part 6: Pullman Porters Had Prestigious Jobs

In 2016, former Pullman porter Benjamin Gaines, who worked on the railroads from 1945 to 1954, spoke about his job from his Evanston home.

"The porters, believe it or not, we had a celebrity status," Gaines told the Tribune.  "We were upper-class because it was a prestigious job."

For some porters - who worked on the palace cars starting in the very early years of the Pullman company - the job was their first after the end of slavery.  There was a certain exctement, not to mention pride, that came from working on the palace cars.

As black men with freedom of movement at a time when freedom was restricted for many other black Americans, porters clandestuinely carried copies of black newspapers, including the Chicago Defender, on the palace cars to distribute along their routes.

--RoadDog

Chicago's Pullman National Monument-- Part 5: Failure of the Strike and Aftermath

But the strike fell short in this attempt, because earlier in the year, the American Railway Union had voted to bar black workers -- like the Pullman Porters -- from joining.

In July, the strike was forcibly crushed by U.S. Army troops.  Debs, along with other leaders of the railway union, was imprisned.

Years later,the Illinois Supreme Court odered the Pullman company to sell its nonindustrial property. Many of the workers then bought their own homes.

But, in the short term, workers didn't see meaningful improvement in their wages or quality of life.  And, the American Railway Union was essentially finished off along with the strike.

--RoadDog

Chicago's Pullman National Monument-- Part 4: Labor Strife

In 1893, an economic depression led George Pullman to decrease factory workers' wages.  But, he didn't lower the rent they paid him to live in his company town.

The worlers felt like their robber baron was passing on the cost of the recession to them.  In May 1894, the workers went on strike.

The American Railway Union, led by Eugene Debs, came in to represent the factory workers and called for a nationwide boyctt of Pullman railcars.  That summer more than 18,000 Pullman workers walked off the job and were joined by over 200,000 railway workers nationwide.

Almost all of the railroads out of Chicago -- the rail hub of North America -- were shut down.

Said Gabriel Winant, a history professor at the University of Chicago, "The real historical significance of (the strike) is the very early effort at industrial unionism" -- an organizing method in which all workers at an industry are represented by the same union, rather than by disparate craft unions.

--RoadStrike

Chicago's Pullman National Monument-- Part 3: History

In 1880, George Pullman began construction of his company town, located at the time outside the Chicago city limits.  It was in Pullman that workers -- skilled craftspeople and mechanics, many of whom were immigrants -- constructed Pullman's palace car.

The town featured row houses -- with indoor plumbing -- for workers, a library, school, grocery store and more, all  company owned.

At the time, Pullman was praised for his innovation and planning but criticized for his paternalism.  In 1894, factory workers walked off the job in a massive strike that led to a national recognition of Labor Day.  Decades later, the Pullman porters, who worked on the palace cars, formed the first black labor union with major standing.

"Pullman may appear all glitter and glow, all gladness and glory to the casual visitor, but there is a deep, dark background of miscontent wich it would be idle to deny," the Chicago Tribune reported in 1888, in a quote now emblazoned on the wall of the new visitors center.'

--RoadDog

Chicago's Pullman Monument-- Part 2

This weekend will be a neighborhood-wide Labor Day celebration.  Visitors can take part in free tours of the visitors center and the historic Hotel Florence.  The Illinois Labor History Society will host walking tours of the neighborhood.

On Monday, the National A. Philip Randolph Pulman Porter Museum will open for its Urban Renaissance event, a commemorationof the Great Migration complete with live music and art space.  

Amtrak will carry historic Pullman palace cars -- the luxurious rail cars Pullman's company produced and sold to railroad companies across the country -- into town for the event; visitors can tour them at the 111th Street/Pullman Metra station.

--RoadPull

Chicago's Pullman Monument-- Part 1

From the September 21, 2021, Chicago Tribune "This is Chicago's DNA" byTalia Soglin.

Teri Gage, superintendent of the Pullman National Monument says Pullmam's history is still relevant today:  "We're talking about immigration, social  justice and the labor rights."

Labor Day weekend, 2021, marked the grand opening of the Pullman National Monument Visitor Center in the famous clock tower and surrounding factory grounds.  This did not come about overnight.  The road to this was driven by more than a half century of grassroots neighborhood effort.

In 1998, an arsonist set fire to the clock tower building which was rescued from demolition after residents of the surrounding area orchestrated a letter-writing campaign to save it.

In the six years since President Obama declared the Pullman Historic District a national monument, the National Park Service has contended with toxic soil, funding challenges and bureaucracy.

Residents and community organizations hope the opening of the  visitor center and new exhibits will bring heightened national recognition of Pullman's history, as well as economic investment and development to the Far South Side.

--RoadDog

Bison Roaming Over a Bridge on Mississippi River?-- Part 2: The Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge

The I-80 bridge's westbound lanes would turn into grassy grounds for bison to roam.  The eastbound lanes would feature a pedestrian and bike path offering a close-up view of the large land mammals that are estimated to at one time to have numbered over 60 million in North America.

Swaths of prairie land would connect to the base of the bridge on each side of the buffalo lanes.

The Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge that carries I-80 over the Mississippi River opened in 1966 and was  named for a local Iowa Republican congressman who was instrumental in backing the Interstate Highway Act.  Each day, roughly 42,000 vehicles drive over the more than half mile long bridge, which connects Rapid City, a small Illinois town of about 1,000 people, and LeClaire, a quaint city of aboutb 4,000 in Iowa.

--RoadBison

Bison Roaming a Bridge Over the Mississipi River? The Proposed 'Bison Bridge'

Imagine seeing something like that.

From the May 2, 2021, Chicago Tribune by Bill Ruthhart.

Most travelers and truckers approaching the Interstate 80 bridge over the Mississippi River see a rather unremarkable structure with no elaborate trusses, suspension cables or bright lights, just a weathered span of concrete that rises gradually over the river.

However, there is a movement to make the structure the centerpiece of a 100-acre national park where bison would roam between Illinois and Iowa along the world's largest human-made wildlife crossing, putting the Quad-Cities region on the map of major tourist attractions.

Dubbed the Bison Bridge, the project is driven by the facr that Iowa and Illinois transportation officials have declared the current I-80 bridge obsolete and in likely need of replacement.  Instead of spending millions of dollars of taxpayer money to tear down the 55-year-old bridge, private money is wanted to preserve and transform it.

Sounds Like A Good Idea To Me.  --RoadDog

Along66, Nov. 2022: Frankoma Pottery Co. Reopens

NOVEMBER 21

Frankoma Pottery Company store opens in Glenpool, Oklahoma, after a long hiatus.

It was originally in nearby Sapulpa from 1933 to 2003.

Liz and I were ucky enough to get to go there before they closed.  They sure made some fine pottery.

***************************

NOVEMBER 22

Inside Hook "Tracing the path of historic Route 66 just outside of Chicago.  Joe Rosenthal.

--RoadDog

Along66, Nov. 2022: The El Rancho Motel Sign and the Budweiser Sign

NOVEMBER 11

Demolition will spare the El Rancho Motel's big sign in Barstow, California.

A massive fire early this year will cause the demolition of the motel itself.

It was built in the 1940s by Cliff Chase, partly out of old railroad ties.

The 100-foot-high neon sign was erected in 1947.

NOVEMBER 15

The huge neon Budweiser sign in St. Louis, Missouri, has been relighted.  It is along Highway 40 and I-64 and includes a 32-foot flapping eagle.

It cost $350,000 to build in 1953 and was originally located on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles before being moved to St. Louis in 1962.

Love Those Old Neon Signs.  --RoadDog

Along66, Nov. 2022: Old Chain of Rocks Bridge and Ramona Lehman

I get these posts from the Route 66 News blog site.   If you want to know what is going on along our favorite road, this is where you want to go.  There is a new post most every day.  I just pick out the ones where I have the most interest.  

The site gives more information and has pictures and videos.  Plus, I am usually a month or more behind as you can see.

NOVEMBER 1

Groundbreaking was held for improvements to the Missouri side of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge near St. Louis.

This is being run by the Great Rivers Greenway.  They will also install restrooms, drinking fountains, local artwork and a pavilion.

Probably the biggest thing is increased security.  All kinds of damage was done to vehicles when their owners left them to walk the bridge.

NOVEMBER 9

Munger Moss Motel (in Lebanon, Missouri) owner Ramona Lehman received the Lebanon Community Achievement Award during the 21st annual Wall of Honor banquet.  She and her late husband Bob have owned the vintage motel for over fifty years.

A well-deserved honor.  

Ramona is truly the Spirit of Route 66.

--RoadDog

RoadTrip to Hammond, Indiana, to See Places That Inspired Jean Shepherd's 'A Christmas Story'

As you may know already, but we are just a week away from the double 24-hour marathons of "A Christmas Story" on TBS and TNT.  I'm looking forward to seeing my favorite Christmas movie again.  I'll watch the whole movie once and then parts every know-and-then.

I have been writing a lot about the places in Hammond, Indiana, where Jean Shepherd grew up and inspired the places in the movie.

You can see those posts in my Cooter's History Thing blog this month.  Just click on that blog in the MY Blogs area to the right of this to read about them.

--RoadStory

Along66, Oct. 2022: The Tee Pee Drive-In and All That Neon

OCTOBER 24

The Tee Pee Drive-In theater in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, to show movies for the first time in 20 years on Halloween weekend.  It is on the west side of Sapulpa.  

Always nice to have something old, especially a drive-in theater,  reopening on the road.

OCTOBER 28

Restoration of the Hi-Way Cafe sign in Vinita, Oklahoma.

One of the newest cost-share grants announced by the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.

Four of the announced grants involved neon signs.  The others:

**  Henning Motel sign in Newberry Spring, California

**  Road Runners retreat near Chambless, California

**  a DIY instrumental video on neon sign servicing and repair

You Can NEVER Have Too Much Neon In My Book.  --RoadDog

Along66, October 2022: The Skyview's Gone to the Dogs and Oklahoma's Pont Bridge

OCTOBER 18

The Skyview Drive-In Theater in Litchfield, Illinois, broke the record for most dogs at a drive-in.  The previous record was 120 dogs.  The Skyview reported unofficially that they had 400 dogs but had stopped registering the dogs after reaching 200 of them because of safety concerns.

This is a Guiness World Record attempt.

Where do they come up with these "records?"

OCTOBER 22 

The famed Pony Bridge in western Okahoma is set to close on October 31 for at least two years.  It will be undergoing extensive improvements to preserve the deteriorating trusses.

Watch Your Step at the Skyview.  --RoadDog

Along66, Oct. 2022: It's Back in Carthage

OCTOBER 13

The Pancake Hut in Carthage, Missouri, was marking the homecoming of its restored Chicago Band Box from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m..

The restaurant is next to the Boots Court motel.

The Band Box was shipped to California for restoration earlier this summer.  I wrote a lot about it then.  Click on the Chicago Coins Band-Box label below to see the posts.

The Chicago Band Box has been at the Pancake Hut since 1979.

OCTOBER 17

And speaking of the historic Boots Court motel, the neon lights are glowing again on Carthage.

All That Carthage.  --RoadDog

Along66, Oct. 2022: Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba Up for Sale

OCTOBER 11

Owner puts historic Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri, up for sale.

Owner Connie Echols plans to retire.

Robert W. and Margaret Martin bought the land on which the motel would be built in 1934.  They hired Leo Friesehan to construct they cabins from native stone hauled in by local farmers.

Pauline and Hallie Robertson ran i8t from 1965 to 1980 when Hallie died.  Pauline married Harold Armstrong and they ran it until her death in 2003. Harold died in 2008.  (We stayed at the motel during their time of owning it.)

The Armstrongs, right up until the last day they ran it, charged less than $20 a night for a room.  (I questioned them on that price when we stayed there for $16.)

UPDATE:  Asking price for the Wagon Wheel is $1.75 million.

A big thanks to Connie for all the work she has done to fix this place up.  It was kind of down-at-the-tooth when we stayed there.  Much nicer the most recent time.

--RoadDog

81st Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Today: Burial of USS Oklahoma Unknown Herbert Jacobson of Illinois-- Part 1

Today marks the 81st anniversary of the Day of Infamy as FDR so aptly stated it.  I will devote seven of my blogs to its memory.

From the September 8, 2022, Lake County (Illinois) Journal "Grayslake sailor killed at Pearl Harbor to be buried September 13 in Arlington National Cemetery" by Jami Kunzer.

'We've been waiting a long time for this,' nephew says of effort to lay uncle at rest.

A moment more than eight decades in the making will happen for the family of a Grayslake sailor killed during the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor.

On September 13, the remains of Herbert Jacobson, a U.S. Navy Fireman 3rd Class stationed aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma, will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, right outside of Washington, D.C.. 

"After 81 years, we're finally laying our uncle to rest," said  Brad McDonald of North Carolina, a nephew  of Jacobson and one of about a dozen family members planning to attend the burial in Virginia.  The ceremony will include a horse-drawn carriage, gun salute and official flag presentation.

Continued in My Running the Blockade: Civil War Navy blog.

Congratulations to the 2022 IHSA State Playoff Champions

Back at the end of November, the 256 high schools who had the best records in 2022 started on a quest to find the top teams in each of eight different classes.

These were the winners at each class level of the playoffs:

8A:  Loyola Academy  (Wilmette)

7A:  Mt. Carmel (Chicago)

6A:  East St. Louis

5A:  Nazareth Academy  (LaGrange Park)

4A:  Sacred Heart-Griffin  (Springfield)

3A:  Illinois Central Catholic  (Elmhurst)

2A:  St. Teresa  (Decatur)

1A:  Lena (Winslow)

Again, Congrats.  --RoadDog

U.S. Highway 14 Wins the US-14-US-12 IHSA 2022 Showdown: Prairie Ridge (Crystal Lake)

After five weeks of playoff parade, the winner of the 2022 US-14-US-12 IHSA High School Playoffs was U.S.-14 (Northwest Highway).

6A  Prairie Ridge (Crystal Lake) went into the fifth round and no US-12 team did.

Prairie Ridge lost in the Championship 6A game to East St. Louis.

--RoadDog

Route 66 Wins the Route 66-Lincoln Highway 2022 Showdown

Two Route 66 teams won their Class Brackets in the 2022 IHSA football playoffs.    The only remaining Lincoln Highway teams, 7A Batavia and 4A Providence were defeated.

ROUTE 66 Illinois State Champions:

6A: East St. Louis

4A:  Sacred Heart-Griffin  (Springfield)

Route 66 won the Showdown 2-0.

Congratulations.  --RoadBall

The Lincoln Highway-Route 66 2022 IHSA Football Championship Teams

The Championship games were played in Champaign-Urbana at the University of Illinois stadium the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Going into the Championship round it was a three-three tie between Route 66 and Lincoln Highway.

Route 66 Teams in the Championship round:

6A:  East St. Louis

4A:  Sacred Hear-Griffin (Springfield)

3A:  Williamsville

Lincoln Highway teams in Championshop round":

8A:  Lincoln Way (New Lennox)

7A:  Batavia

4A:  Providence:  (New Lennox)

--RoadDog