25th Anniversary of 9/11/01

Photo courtesy Robert Clark and Time Magazine

Well, it’s been 25 years. It's hard to believe.

On one hand, seeing the horrific images on TV that day, and watching the news coverage of the aftermath of the attacks doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. But it has. And since then, a lot has happened in this country. 

But the biggest thing that's happened since 9/11 is that hate has become the new national pastime. We seem to be swimming in hate. 

Hate for certain politicians, their political parties, and the people who voted for them. 

Hate for people with a different opinion.

Hate for whole classes of people that some want to blame for all our problems. 

Hate for the laws that govern us.

Hate for some of our most cherished institutions. 

Hate for some of our most basic traditions and principles. 

Hate for some of the very rights that define our republic.

It’s getting scary. Very scary. It’s scarier than 9/11 was, if you ask me.

I wish we could go back to how united we were – briefly (before the finger pointing and criticism began) – right after 9/11. We all stood together as a country.

I’m not sure if we will ever be that united again. But I can hope. And I hope it doesn't take another national tragedy to accomplish it.

And I hope we never forget the people who lost their lives on 9/11, and the people whose lives were changed forever as a result of the attacks. 

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I posted some front pages from the day following the 9/11 attacks, and offered my own reminisces back here.

Big Cartoon Show at the Palace Ad – Sept. 9, 1946

Those of us that were born in the 1950s or early 1960s grew up during a virtual cartoon paradise, when Saturday morning TV programming consisting of wall-to-wall cartoons from dawn (or whenever the stations signed on) until lunchtime. We were glued to the TV screen, watching animated shorts that were originally shown in theaters, and brand new cartoons made specifically for television.

And my siblings and I watched them all, from Bugs Bunny to Milton the Monster. We did not discriminate.

But what about the unfortunate, deprived generations of children who had to grow up in an era before TV? How did they get their cartoon fix?

The answer: all day cartoon festivals in movie theaters. The ad below, which ran in the Lorain Journal back on Sept. 9, 1946, promoted just such an event coming up at the Palace Theater in Lorain on the 14th of that month.

(September 14, 1936 was a Saturday, in case you were wondering if the theater was encouraging skipping school.)

It's an odd lineup of cartoon stars for 1946, and the art in the ad doesn't help. We see 1930s versions of Popeye and Betty Boop (who was 'retired' by then) right alongside similarly outdated illustrations of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The roll call of cartoon stars listed in the ad include Warner Brothers' biggest cartoon star Bugs Bunny, as well as two dogs from the Disney menagerie (one that talks and one that doesn't): Goofy and Pluto. Lastly, there's Little Lulu (whose cartoons were made by Paramount, the same company where Popeye was toiling in those monotonous 1940s color cartoons where he and Bluto fought over the fickle, unappetizing Olive Oyl.

I'm not sure whether the show was a big success, but the Palace put on a much better package about ten years later in July 1957. This time, the lineup featured Abbott and Costello, the Three Stooges and the Little Rascals, with the carrot-munching wascally wabbit in the spotlight.

Not surprisingly, the various elements of the 1957 Palace show ended up on television eventually. 

As for Abbott & Costello, I remember when their short-lived 1950s TV show turned up on Channel 43 in the late 1960s. I tape recorded the theme song on my reel to reel, and have had it in my head for more than 50 years. Here it is, so you can enjoy it too.

Lorain Journal Front Page – Sept. 9, 1936

Ninety years ago today, the front page of the Lorain Journal of September 9, 1936 was reporting on the latest presidential polling (it favored Alf Landon) and a growing number of traffic deaths. 

But setting aside those news items, what interested me were the photos of Quintupletland (later shortened to just Quintland) – where the Canadian government basically turned the Dionne Quintuplets into the country's biggest tourist attraction. It's a sad tale of how the girls were taken from their parents and exploited, changing their lives forever. They were put on display like a circus act.

According to a Wiki entry, "The Dionne quintuplets spent much of their childhood at the centre of Quintland, a government-operated tourist attraction built around the Dafoe Nursery. Constructed through a Canadian Red Cross fundraising campaign, the nursery became the centerpiece of one of Canada's largest tourist attractions during the Great Depression. 

"From 1935 until the sisters returned to their family in 1943, millions of people travelled to Northern Ontario to observe them. When public visits first began, tourists viewed the quintuplets through a window of the Dafoe Nursery. Their caregivers soon concluded that this arrangement upset the girls, who became excited when visitors arrived and distressed when they left. Asking visitors to remain quiet proved ineffective, and the sisters were initially exhibited four times each day. 

"The public observatory opened on Canada Day in 1936, when the sisters were two years old. Visitors passed through a covered arcade surrounding the nursery's outdoor playground, where the girls were brought outside for scheduled public viewings. The playground formed part of the nursery compound, which was enclosed by a seven-foot (7 feet (2.1 m)) barbed-wire fence. 

"Visitors were instructed to remain silent, not speak to the girls, continue moving to avoid congestion, and refrain from taking photographs. The sisters were not exhibited during poor weather. Although one-way screens were intended to prevent noise and distraction, they functioned more like frosted glass. 

"The girls knew they were being watched because they could hear the screams and laughter of the crowds, even if they could not clearly see them. Only five people were permitted in a room with the quintuplets at one time, and anyone admitted was sprayed with disinfectant. 

"Approximately 3,000 people visited Quintland each day, and almost three million passed through the observation gallery between 1936 and 1943. Hundreds of automobiles arrived daily, and ample parking was provided for visitors. At its height, Quintland surpassed the Canadian side of Niagara Falls to become Ontario's largest tourist attraction." 

Why am I interested in their story? Because during my married years, most of our annual vacations were spent in North Bay, Ontario, Canada (which is about four hours north of Toronto) visiting my wife's grandmother. North Bay is right next door to Callander, where the quintuplets were born. In fact, the cabin that they were born in was eventually moved to North Bay as a tourist attraction/museum. I went through it many times over the years.

To make it even more interesting, my wife's grandmother even did some sewing for the Dionne family. 

So I spent a lot of time in North Bay over the years, and came away with real affection for the place, and Canada in general.

The Swamp Lily

The above photo of the intersection of Broadway and West Erie Avenue in Lorain – looking east, with the Broadway Building on the right and the old swing bridge (that preceded the present Bascule Bridge) off in the distance – probably looks odd to anyone familiar with this location today. 

We're not used to seeing anything on that northeast corner or on the viaduct leading to the bridge. Yet the photo shows a Gulf service station and, just east of it, a hotel that local historians fondly know as the Swamp Lily.

The Swamp Lily had been built (according to at least one source) in 1894. Here's an early, undated photo looking east towards the Swing Bridge that shows the Swamp Lily on the left side of the photo. As you can see, the Broadway Building hasn't been built yet.

The Swamp Lily made it onto this 1924 Lorain Tornado souvenir postcard, which looks west from the tornado-damaged viaduct. That's it on the right.

Here's a vintage photo, courtesy of the Lorain County Memory website, circa 1930s. There's some kind of carnival or exhibition at the north end of Broadway, but you can see the Swamp Lily off in the distance on the left side of the photo.

And here are two more vintage photos of it, circa mid-to-late 1930s, from different angles, probably taken at the same time. The first one shows how I assume you would enter the building from the viaduct. The second photo shows it at ground level. 

While the name Swamp Lily is used regularly to refer to the hotel on the viaduct, it actually had several names during its existence, including the Eagle Hotel and the Checker Inn.

The Swamp Lily made it into the news frequently in the early 1930s. The first event that triggered several news accounts in the Lorain Journal was the city's desire to widen E. Erie Avenue at the western end of the viaduct. August Baldwin, one of the city's last living Civil War veterans and the owner of the Swamp Lily at the time, blocked the widening via an old injunction. Apparently the city retaliated by declaring the hotel a fire trap. The issue was finally resolved.

Sept. 4, 1930

Sept. 12, 1930

Oct. 23, 1930

Oct. 27, 1930

Dec. 2, 1930

The second big event that put the Swamp Lily in the news was the fire that almost destroyed it on September 2, 1932.

The Swamp Lily made it into the news for the last time when it became necessary to remove it to make way for the new Bascule Bridge.

Nov. 10, 1939

Nov. 30, 1939

Dec. 5, 1939

Dec. 6, 1939

Dec. 27, 1939

Feb. 23, 1940

May 22, 1940

July 17, 1944

Dec. 5, 1949

Full Speed Ahead with Labor – Labor Day 1956

Here's hoping all of my readers enjoy a safe and happy Labor Day.

The Lorain Journal observed the holiday with this full-page ad back on Aug. 31, 1956. As usual, it's interesting seeing what companies that sponsored the ad are still around, at least in some form.

Wondering about the history of Labor Day? Rather than belabor it, let's turn to the website of the U.S. Dept. of Labor for the answer.

It notes, "Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being. 

"Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and individual states. After municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation. New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day, on February 21, 1887. 

"During 1887, four more states – Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York – passed laws creating a Labor Day holiday. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit. 

"By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday. 

"Who first proposed the holiday for workers? 

"It’s not entirely clear, but two workers can make a solid claim to the Founder of Labor Day title. Some records show that in 1882, Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, suggested setting aside a day for a "general holiday for the laboring classes" to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold." 

"But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that machinist Matthew Maguire, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, New Jersey, proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. 

"According to the New Jersey Historical Society, after President Cleveland signed the law creating a national Labor Day, the Paterson Morning Call published an opinion piece stating that "the souvenir pen should go to Alderman Matthew Maguire of this city, who is the undisputed author of Labor Day as a holiday." Both Maguire and McGuire attended the country’s first Labor Day parade in New York City that year. 

"The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. 

"By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday. Many Americans celebrate Labor Day with parades and parties – festivities very similar to those outlined by the first proposal for a holiday, which suggested that the day should be observed with – a street parade to exhibit "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day."

Lawson's Labor Day Ad – Sept. 1966

Do you have everything you need for the traditional Labor Day cookout tomorrow?

Sixty years ago, Lawson's really had its finger on the pulse of customer shopping habits when it came to Labor Day picnics. It knew what people wanted and put those items on sale. Here's its full-page Journal ad from September 1, 1966.

It mirrors my shopping list for today: hot dogs, buns, potato chips and potato salad. It just seems like that's what the menu should be on Labor Day. And maybe some baked beans on the side.

I like the Harry Volk clip art; those artists always did a nice job of capturing of moment and making it seem real. But I wonder if anyone ever really wore a chef's hat when barbecuing?

I know they did in cartoons.

Back to School Ad – Sept. 3, 1956

We'll close out the week with a final Back to School ad, since today is the first day of school for the daughter of a woman I work with. The daughter is starting kindergarten in the Firelands school system. It's an odd day to start, right before the long holiday. But I guess it's the school officials' way of slowly easing the new students into something that's going to take up the next twelve years of their young lives.

Speaking of kindergarten, I wonder if the kids still have to bring a mat to school to sleep on? During my kindergarten class at Charleston Elementary, I remember having a nap time in a darkened room. We talked about this at work the other day, and my co-worker (who is in her early thirties) Googled it, and determined that nap breaks are a thing of the past. 

Anyway, this Back to School ad is sponsored by the Lorain County Deputies Association. It ran in the Lorain Journal on September 3, 1956 and features some great clip art of kids and a policeman.

Although there's no Grim Reaper illustration, the tagline in the ad is still rather jarring: Don't Meet Your Maker By Accident. It also doesn't make a lot of sense, since the goal of the ad is to keep drivers from running over kids.

At least the little cartoons on the right side of the ad still pack an important message in as capsule format, seventy years after the ad was published. 

It's always surprising to see drivers confused as to whether or not they have to stop for a school bus that is picking up or dropping off kids in the opposite direction on a four lane highway like Liberty Avenue (US 6) in Vermilion. 

The answer? They don't. The kids are never put in the position of having to cross a four lane highway.

But many drivers stop anyways and are shocked when I don't. 

The traffic person (Jamie Sullivan) on Channel 19 News used to review this issue every year when school started, to try and eliminate the confusion, and I think it was a very good idea.