Sons of the Purple Sage at the Showboat – Jan. 1956

Here's a nice musical interlude for a Thursday. Seventy years ago this week, the famed recording group Sons of the Purple Sage were about to open a two-week run at the Showboat Lounge in Downtown Lorain.

Below is the movie and entertainment page of the Lorain Journal on Jan. 7, 1956 making the announcement.

The article notes, "The Sons of the Purple Sage, nationally known Western and Hillbilly novelty and comedy musical group, will start a two-week run beginning Monday, at the Showboat Lounge, 766 Broadway.

"The group formerly appeared with Roy Rogers in Republic Pictures and has performed on numerous television shows, including the Milton Berle Show, Ford Festival, Garry Moore Show, Langford - Ameche Show, Steve Allen Show and Songs for Sale.

"Among the top acts are unusual instrumentation by the entire troupe and singing in four languages by Lina Shane, who also plays drums and maracas.

"Bob Wheeler, one of the stars, plays guitar, a toy harmonica, smokes a cigarette, twirls a lasso with his mouth and keeps twisting and turning around at the same time at fast pace."

The history of the group is a little confusing, since there were two bands with just about the same name performing out on the West Coast in the early 1950s.

Nevertheless, it sounds like it was a great show. I'm always amazed at the incredible variety of national musical groups that performed in my hometown during the 1950s. Lorain's nightclub scene was amazing back then.

What was it like to hear Sons of the Purple Sage at the Showboat? Here's one of their albums so you can get a taste of their music. It's got all the classic tunes: Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Red River Valley, even Wabash Cannonball. 

I think they're great!

Meanwhile over at Ben Hart's Show Bar, the Snap-shots were performing. Click here to read a great, detailed history of this band that got its big break on the Gene Carroll TV show.

Col. Raymond C. Vietzen and the Indian Ridge Museum – 1944 to 1999

Col. Raymond C. Vietzen in 1967 at his museum

Back in October, a blog post featured articles about Raymond C. Vietzen's unearthing of Indian skeletons on the Louis Frank farm near Vermilion in 1940, and his role directing excavation of the site. 

Col. Matt Nahorn, local historian (and Amherst Council Member at Large) noted in a comment, "The Franks Site was one of the largest Erie Indian village sites in the area, which encompassed some 80 acres of land. Much of the land now is owned by the MetroParks. Col. Vietzen worked as site supervisor for Oberlin College students and also worked there for some time, in the early 1940s. 

"He subsequently authored 17 books on archaeology, many of which documented local sites and local work. He operated the Indian Ridge Museum in Elyria from 1930-1995, and was the last living individual associated with the founding of the Archaeological Society of Ohio. His wife, Ruth was the first female officer and worked right alongside him at the archaeological sites."

The Colonel kindly sent me an article about Raymond C. Vietzen and the Indian Ridge Museum that ran in the Journal back in September 1967. You'll find it below, along with several other article about him that I found online in the newspaper's archives. The Indian Ridge Museum was a favorite subject of Journal articles.

The earliest mention of Vietzen that I could find was this article from March 24, 1944.

At the time of this October 16, 1951 article, the museum apparently had not yet acquired its name, and was only referred to in the article as being part of the Vietzen estate, known as "The Wigwam."

In this Feb. 28, 1959 article, we learn that Mr. Vietzen had received his Kentucky Colonel commission "from the governors of Kentucky and Tennessee for archaeological work done in those states."

This Sept. 15, 1967 article (courtesy of Matt Nahorn) features some nice photographs of Vietzen and his  museum.

This July 22, 1970 includes some great, frank quotes by Mr. Vietzen about the American Indian's high morals, and his own strict standards about displaying Indian bones. 

In this November 10, 1972 article (below), Vietzen talks about some of the incredible items found in his museum, including "a trundle bed, a rifle from the Daniel Boone period, hunting bags and powder horns, hearth brooms, a Buffalo robe from the Gold Rush, a plantation office desk from a slave family in Oberlin, an Apache Indian drum made from a hollow sycamore tree with two deer hides stretched over it, a covered wagon, a left hand plow, water power mill, a sleigh from a Sheffield family, dower chests and a cannon from the War of 1812." The article notes, "He also has the Jacob Shupe cabin which was the first one built in Lorain County, a cabin built by an ancestor of Jesse James, and a tymochtee cabin built in 1795 in the Sandusky River Valley."

The Indian Ridge Museum was featured again in this August 20, 1976 article.

Col. Vietzen weighs in with his thoughts about the contention that the Black River was called the "Canesadooharie" in this article from October 23, 1988.

This heartbreaking story from October 12, 1994 tells of some mindless vandalism and theft at the Indian Ridge Museum.

Col. Raymond C. Vietzen passed away in October 1995, followed by his wife Ruth in Sept. 1999. Below are their obituaries and the Public Auction listing for the dispersal of the contents of the Indian Ridge Museum.

Sept. 30,1999

Learn more about the Vietzens and the Indian Ridge Museum at Col. Matt Nahorn's The New Indian Ridge Museum website.

Off Broadway Floral Run Ends

It was sad to find out that Off Broadway Floral & Gift was closing its doors at the end of their business day on Dec. 31, 2025. I happened to be in there a few weeks before that to buy a Christmas wreath, and Jackie (one of the owners, along with her brother Kevin) let me know. The business had been for sale for some time, and on each visit I inquired as to whether a new owner had been found. There had been a lot of interest but selling a business is not an easy thing to do. 

Off Broadway Floral & Gift had been my go-to florist ever since my father died in 2005. Mom and I stopped there three or four times a year to make sure that Dad had fresh flowers. She also liked to poke around in the gift shop and look at all the beautiful things for sale. The owners and staff were always so friendly and helpful.

When Mom died, I stopped in regularly as well on my way to Elmwood Cemetery. If I couldn't find an arrangement with a lot of blue (her favorite color) then the staff there were happy to make something up for me. I sure will miss those people. 

The official Facebook message announcing the closing read, "With full hearts we are announcing that Off Broadway Floral will be closing our doors as we officially retire. After 37 wonderful years, it’s time for us to begin a new chapter. We are incredibly grateful for your loyalty over the years. You welcomed us into your homes, your weddings, celebrations, and even your hardest days. It has been an honor. 

"Though the shop is closing, the memories we've made together will last forever. With love & appreciation, Kevin & Jacqueline."

I wish them both a Happy Retirement!

From the Journal, Sept. 7, 1994

****

While preparing this post, I discovered that there had been a florist at that location (in the original building next to the current building) since the early 1960s at least.

Jan-Terry Flower and Gift Shop seems to have been the original business, owned by Rose Hencheck. Here's an early ad from October 30, 1963.

Other Journal ads were few and far between. The business was eventually sold and transitioned to became Off Broadway Floral & Gift.

April 9, 1971

March 28, 1991

Lorain Journal Front Page – Jan. 2, 1936

Last time we looked at Lorain's First Babies of 1946, 1956 and 1966. Let's go back to 1936 this time and not only check out the baby situation, but also see if there was anything interesting going on.

For starters, it was interesting that even back then, the Lorain Journal sponsored a First Baby Born in the City of Lorain contest. The 1936 contest was actually the 13th annual. There were some pretty nice prizes, as shown in this page that ran on Dec. 31, 1935. (There apparently wasn't a lot of clip art available in the 1930s, as most of the baby illustrations appear twice.)

But getting back to the front page. The main headline gave the grim news about Lorain County traffic deaths in 1935. "In proportion to its population, Lorain-co had more traffic fatalities in 1935 than any other county in Ohio," it noted.

"The Associated Press accident survey showed that Lorain-co's traffic toll made an increase of almost 50 percent over 1934, when the survey showed a total of 40 deaths, altho there may have been a few cases in outlying districts not reported that year."

Tommy Touhy

The second headline noted the capture of "Tommy" Touhy, the leader of the "Terrible Touhy" gang. "Eldest of five brothers, the 41-year-old "Tommy" was accused by police of organizing the Touhy bootleg gang, which controlled illicit liquor sales in northwest Chicago and its suburbs, defying the most powerful criminal outfits, including the Capone mob," the article explained.

"Tommy was captured in bed without resistance when a raiding squad descended upon a flat at 3130 Palmer-st.

"A 30-month search had been in progress for Tommy. He was repeatedly reported dead or dying. Told he suffered from an incurable malady (cancer), police and postal inspectors carried on a quiet search of hospitals.

"Last winter a report came to police that Tommy had made himself into a human bomb, carrying a heavy charge of high explosive with the announced intention of blowing himself and his pursuers to bits rather than surrender.

"Tommy's capture also accounted for the fifth of the six brothers who comprised the Touhy gang's high command. At their peak, they commanded a veritable criminal army, with as many as one hundred men under arms, police said.

"Roger went to prison for the Factor kidnapping; James was killed early in the gang's history; Joseph and John died in battles with the Capone gangsters; Eddie vanished and was reported dead."

Also of interest on the front page is the story of a 'lion hunt' taking place near Cincinnati. A mystery animal that was believed to be a lion was running loose, leaving "large, padded foot tracks" and killing other animals, including an 85-pound hog and several pigeons.

Of course to an animated cartoon fan like myself, the story mirrored a plot used several times by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, with an escaped lion getting mixed up with Tom & Jerry (Jerry and the Lion) and then years later with Pixie & Dixie and Mr. Jinks (King Size Poodle).

I was unable to find a follow-up story saying whether a lion was captured (or was aided by a small, lovable mouse to climb aboard a ship back to his native African home).

Another interesting story is the one coming out of Montreal, Canada. "The strange case of an elderly man who has been declared dead by a doctor, but who continues to breathe was reported today in a dispatch to the Montreal Gazette from Etangdu Nord, a village on Grindstone Island of the Magdalen group in the Gulf of the St. Lawrence.

"The dispatch said that Dedler Fougere, 71, was pronounced dead by a doctor on Dec. 21, but that mirrors held to his mouth became coated with moisture indicating breathing and rigor mortis has not yet set in. A priest summoned to conduct funeral services refused to allow Fougere to be buried. His beard is growing and impressions made with a fingernail on his flesh became white and then fill out with color again."

It's a disturbing story and I'm glad they waited a while to bury him, thus avoiding an Edgar Allan Poe-like accident.

I did manage to find a follow-up story (below).

Other stories on the front page included a quiet New Year's Eve in Lorain; a fire in the Lorain Casting Company on Omaha Avenue; the new mayor of Marion, Ohio announces that he will work for no salary; and the story of two Ohio State University students who robbed a filling station because "they needed the money to pay their fees at the university." Go Bucks?

 

First Babies of 1946, 1956 and 1966

I like to start off a new year with a roll call of First Babies – in this case, 1946, 1956 and 1966.

First up is 1946. Here's the front page of the Lorain Journal for January 2, 1946 – 80 years ago today.

There's a lot of tragedy on that page, including a headline story about the large number of violent deaths that occurred during the holiday. Other stories of a somber nature include the ongoing War Trials at Nuremberg and the impending hanging of Lord Haw Haw for treason.

But there's also the happy story of the first baby born in Lorain. The proud parents of the "lusty, six-and-a-half pound baby boy" were Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Palumbo.

Exactly ten years later on January 2, 1956 this was the front page of the Lorain Journal.

Janet Louise Becker was the First Baby of 1956, with Mr. and Mrs. Herman Becker of F Street the proud parents. Other interesting stories on the front page include the sad passing of Mrs. Isabel Teemer on the eve of her 91st birthday; and the sale of Johnson's Island, which was a Civil War prison for Confederate soldiers and still has a Federal cemetery for prisoners who died from wounds or illness.

Lastly, the First Baby of 1966 was Noel Figueroa, son of Mr. and Mrs. Luis Figueroa of E. 34th Street. 

From the Jan. 3, 1966 Journal

Here's the spread listing the goodies for Noel and his parents, which ran in the Journal on January 4, 1966.

There's some great gifts, including five 'guest cards' for Free All American Meals at McDonald's. which would certainly be welcomed today.

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing all of you a safe and Happy New Year! I hope that everyone enjoys good health and happiness in 2026! (Hey, I'm still waiting for those flying cars!)

As is my usual custom here, I'd like to wish a special Happy Birthday to my brother Ken, Lorain's First Baby of 1958. Here he is at the age of three months. This photo always cracked us up over the years, with Ken peeking out of his bassinet while our sister beams at the camera.

Anyway, I'm hoping to keep things going here on the blog in 2026. Sometimes it feels like I'm trying to squeeze a little more toothpaste out of an empty tube. But I'll press on. 

An early task for 2026 is to try and post some topics that have been delayed almost as long the Pueblo. My apologies to those who sent me material that have languished in my digital folders for too long!

I'll close out this New Year's Day post with a musical tribute by Spike Jones and His City Slickers. 

Dad had a few Spike Jones records in his collection of 78s, so I grew up with an appreciation of the City Slickers. My buddy Scott Welko liked them too, and we used to get together in his basement, shoot pool and play these old novelty records. This one was in the Welko collection and I play it every year around this time. I played it at work yesterday and it even got a chuckle from my much younger co-worker.

New Year's Eve 1955

Well, it's New Year's Eve – the last day of 2025. Hope it was a good year for you! (I'm at the age now when I'm beginning to realize that any year in which you make it through the whole twelve months is a good one!)

Seventy years ago today it was New Year's Eve 1955. Below is the front page of the Lorain Journal from that date.

Nothing too earth-shattering going on as 1955 drew to a close. The local economy was doing well, with an article noting that, "Business in Lorain has moved once more into new high territory during the year just drawing to a close."

The city was getting ready to celebrate. "Thousands of New Year's Eve celebrators in the Lorain area are all set to ring out the old year and usher in 1956 at gay and festive parties in night clubs, in private homes and at dances," noted one article.

Let's take a look at the entertainment page. As usual, for the movie-going crowd there was something for everyone (including kids, with a Cartoon-O-Scope Carnival at the Ohio, including Tom & Jerry; Donald Duck; and Jasper Puppetoons; all in Cinemascope.

If you felt like going out to dance, there was a New Year's Eve Party at Avon Isle Park (subject of a recent post) as well as the Saddle Inn. Ben Hart's Show Bar featured recording artists the Chuz Alfred Quintet, known for their recoding of "Caravan."

The YouTube page with "Caravan" notes, "A native of Lancaster, Ohio, “Chuz” (for Charles) Alfred came of a musical family. His father played piano and headed what was known as “The Alfred Melody Syncopators”, an outfit of local renown. Chuz's sister, Sue or “Suz,” played sax while in high school.

As usual, the Journal sponsored its annual "First Baby" contest. There were plenty of goodies for the lucky baby (but note, both parents had to be residents of the City of Lorain).

Lastly, there was the annual sponsored ad reminding everyone to drive safely. No Grim Reaper in the ad for 1955 (good!) – just a flabbergasted Old Year and a top-hatted Baby New Year.