Through the Viewfinder Tuesday!

Master Mix Feeds, originally uploaded by William 74.

We return to Arlington for this week's return of Through the Viewfinder Tuesday. I can't say a whole lot more about this building, or the town of Arlington, that I didn't say here last week. So I'll just let this shot of the Master Mix sign speak for itself.

Parkston Co-Op

Door, originally uploaded by William 74.

One of the maxims I live by is "It's always worth it to ask". Such is the case here. This well-seasoned sign is on the door of a sixties Ford pickup truck. Actually, it's just the cab of the truck-no chassis, no engine, no glass, no fenders, no box, no nothin'. I found it in the back of a repair shop in rural Illinois, and the only reason I saw it was because they had a nice old Chevy parked at the side, and I asked if I could shoot it. The guy said told me to go ahead and look around, and walked back into his shop.

I loved this door the second I saw it. I love the fact that the signwriting was never painted over-this truck clearly led a long life with the Parkston Co-Op Association. It's also a long way from home-as best as I can tell, this is Parkston, South Dakota. This fact makes me even happier that I stumbled across it.

Neon Friday!

Gish Jeweler-Mendota, IL, originally uploaded by William 74.

It's the end of the week, and you all know what that means-it's Neon Friday!

This week we're in the railroad town of Mendota, Illinois, looking at long-time merchant Gish Jewelers. Mendota lies along BNSF's mainline (the former Burlington Route line west), and still sees Amtrak passenger service at it's historic station. It's a pretty sizable town, with a couple of museums (including one at the depot), a few shops, and some restaurants. But at heart it remains a small rural town, a slice of Americana out on the prairie.

I like this sign a lot-it's a nice vintage item. I don't know if it works or if they light it up at night-I'd love to see it working.

Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway Marker, originally uploaded by William 74.

Revisiting the town of Franklin Grove, along the Lincoln Highway in Illinois. Frequently, back in the day, municipalities would paint the distinctive LH logo onto telephone poles through their towns, and back out into the countryside.

Today, many towns along the route hang banners from light poles to mark the historic road, but here in Franklin Grove, they still paint the logos right on the poles. There are several of them through town. This one's by a local elementary school.

Arlington

Arlington Grain Co., originally uploaded by William 74.

Arlington is a very small, somewhat remote town in rural Illinois. With a population of something less than 200, it is typical of the many tiny, almost gone towns that dot the American Midwest.

It wasn't always like this. Originally called Lost Grove, Arlington grew rapidly in the early twentieth century, with plenty of new residents who worked the coal mines of this part of Illinois. Several businesses set up shop as well, including a brewery and several restaurants. However, the Cherry Mine Disaster of 1909, which killed over 200 miners, put a damper on the mining business, and on Arlington's growth as well.



Arlington held it's own until after World War Two, when a tornado in 1950 destroyed most of the town. Many residents moved away at this time, the businesses shut down, and slowly the town started to shrink. Most of the homes have been given over to fields again (you can still find foundations out in them), and the downtown has a few buildings and a restaurant.

A block away, by the Burlington tracks, is the former Arlington Grain Company elevator. It's abandoned now, and slowly shedding it's steel siding, and an interior floor has collapsed into the basement. But still it stands, the tallest building on the landscape, the skyscraper of the prairie.

Shoebox

Shoebox, originally uploaded by William 74.

As with many manufacturers, Ford's postwar products were essentially their last prewar cars, freshened up a bit and put back into production. It wasn't until 1949 that FoMoCo was able to release an all-new design, the now legendary "Shoebox" Fords.

The new cars featured clean, modern styling, new suspension, and better appointed interiors compared to the old designs. They proved to be popular, being priced competitively compared to Chevrolet's Bel Air and Dodge's Coronet. Plus, the ford offered something the other two did not-the option of a V-8 engine, the legendary flathead.

The shoebox ford quickly gained popularity as the basis for a custom car as well. The first examples started showing up by the time this '53 was built, and some of the most famous custom cars of the fifties and early sixties were based on them. Good looking as the standard car is, it almost begs to be chopped, the headlights frenched in, and a set of sombrero hubcaps fitted.

Proving that the shoebox could be just about anything to anyone, this '53 Customline is a nice, mild custom, with no serious body modifications, but an excellent paint job and a gorgeous tuck and roll interior.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

Lothson's Karry Out-DeKalb, IL, originally uploaded by William 74.

It's the end of the week, and that means another Neon Friday, folks! This week we're in DeKalb, Illinois. Best known as the home of Northern Illinois University, DeKalb was also a fairly major stop along the Illinois stretch of the Lincoln Highway, and still features a few old businesses along the main drag.

One of them is Lothson's Karry Out, which specializes in fried chicken. They've been in business since 1949, and are rightfully called a Lincoln Highway classic. They also feature this cool vintage sign over the door. Chaser bulbs aside, it even works (although I still haven't managed to get a decent photograph of it at night. Must work on that).

The food's pretty good, too!