Fall Foliage 2024 – Mohican State Forest

It was a glorious Fall day on Sunday, so I headed down to Mohican State Park and Forest. It had been several years since I made it down there to check out the foliage, so I was looking forward to some great colors.

Unfortunately, hundreds, if not thousands, of other Ohioans had the same idea. 

Consequently, most parking areas adjacent to a scenic vista were choked with cars. There were no parking spaces anywhere. Even the Amish (who apparently all decided to picnic at Mohican today) were stashing their buggies and horses wherever they could. To make matters even worse, a wedding party decided to appropriate just about the entire Gorge lookout area for their festivities, with music blaring away. (I should have crashed the party and swiped some goodies as payment for having to park 1/4 mile away.)

Anyway, it still was the perfect autumn day and I managed to get photos of some of the park's landmarks. I even attempted a few Then & Nows.

One of my first stops was at the Memorial Forest Shrine. It originally honored the men and women of Ohio who lost their lives during World War II, before later expanding its scope to include Ohioans who died in all wars.

Admiral Ernest J. King was at the 1947 dedication ceremony. He wasn't identified in the photo on display, but I knew who he was.

I also made it over to the Fire Tower. I only went up about a third of the way before feeling like James Stewart in Vertigo.

I stopped at the Lodge, where I have stayed many times. It's barely recognizable from when it was new. By the way, it's celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. (Here's its website.)

Anyway, I found the best color along Ohio State Route 97.

I've devoted several blog posts to Mohican over the years, and covered some of its landmarks (like the Memorial Shrine) before.

Grand Opening of Fisher Big Wheel in Vermilion – October 22, 1972

Remember the Fishers Big Wheel stores?

It was a discount department store not unlike Kmart. Local stores included one in Avon Lake across from Discount Drug Mart on Walker Road, one in the Northridge Plaza in North Ridgeville, and one in Vermilion in the South Shore Shopping Center. 

Above you see the Grand Opening ad for the Vermilion store that appeared in the Journal on October 22, 1972.

According to its Wiki entry, "Fishers Big Wheel, sometimes known as just Big Wheel, was a discount department store chain based in New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States. The company operated stores under the Fisher's Big Wheel and Buy Smart names. 

"Fishers Big Wheel primarily located in smaller towns which were not already served by other discount retailers, while in other markets, it competed directly with such discounters as Zayre, Kmart, Walmart, and Hills Department Store. 

"At its peak, the chain comprised more than 100 stores in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States. The chain declared bankruptcy in 1993, selling some stores to Pamida and closing others. The chain closed in 1994."

The Vermilion store dodged the closing bullet for a while. An article in the July 10, 1993 Morning Journal noted that "The Fisher Big Wheel in Vermilion has survived another round of closings from the Pennsylvania-based regional discount retailer.

"Company officials in New Castle, Pa., announced the company and its wholly owned affiliates filed for protection under Chapter 11 of federal bankruptcy laws yesterday.

"Ten stores will close, according to a company lawyer who didn't name the victims. However, Mike Amantea, manager of the Big Wheel store in Vermilion, said his store was not among them.

"Big Wheel Holding Co. Inc., and Big Wheel of Michigan, Inc. operate 65 retail department stores in eight states.

"Last year, the company slated the Vermilion store for closing. But it changed its mind after an outpouring of support from the community.

"Big Wheel has 23 stores in Ohio, 17 in Michigan, 11 in Pennsylvania, three in New York, three in Connecticut, five in Indiana, two in West Virginia, and one in Rhode Island, according to papers filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

The Vermilion store eventually closed. But the vacant Big Wheel building found new life for many years as the home of Alco, a national discount department store, in October 1998.

Today, the building is home to Harborview Self Storage.

I never shopped at the Vermilion store, but the Avon Lake store was a regular stop when I lived on the east side of Lorain. It was convenient, and I remember some great fireworks there too on the Fourth of July for several years.

Sears Hunting Ad – Oct. 29, 1953

As a shopper, you're no doubt familiar with the concept of a house brand.  Dictionary.com defines it as "a brand name used by a retailer for a product or product line made specifically for, or by, the retailer.

One example would be Ann Page, one of A&P's house brands, found on products like preserves and peanut butter. Jane Parker was another A&P house brand, used for bread, cookies and other items.

Today, there are house brands like Clover Valley (for Dollar General) and Great Value (for Walmart).

But did you know that Sears had a house brand that it used for hunting rifles and other sporting goods?

You can see it mentioned in the ad above, which ran in the Lorain Journal back on October 29, 1953. There's a J. C. Higgins .22 Caliber Semi-Automatic Rifle, a J. C. Higgins Bolt Action 6-Shot Repeating Shotgun and (Sears' best seller) a J. C. Higgins Deluxe Model 20 6-Shot Pump Shotgun.

But unlike Ann Page and Jane Parker, there really was a J. C. Higgins. Sort of.

J. C. Higgins Deluxe Model 20
6-Shot Pump Shotgun for sale on proxibid.com

The Wiki entry for J. C. Higgins notes, "From 1908 until 1962, Sears, Roebuck & Company sold a wide variety of sporting goods and recreational equipment, including bicycles, golf clubs, rifles, shotguns, and revolvers under the brand name "J. C. Higgins." These products were well made and were popular with the company's historical core of rural and working-class consumers.

"Like many other Sears products, the Sears firearms were originally made by major firearm manufacturers. The Model 20 was produced by High Standard Arms, as was the Model 88 revolver.

"The J.C. Higgins brand for Sears sporting goods was replaced with the Ted Williams brand. Many of the more durable J.C. Higgins products are still available as secondhand items.

"The brand name, J. C. Higgins, was based on a real person, John Higgins, who was a Sears employee. He moved from his birth country of Ireland to the United States in his late teens and began working for Sears in 1898. He spent his entire working career with Sears and was Vice President for the company for a period of time. He was actually born with no middle name but the Sears Co. presented the idea of labeling their sporting good line with his name and saw it more presentable labeling the brand as J.C. Higgins. He worked with the company until his retirement as head bookkeeper in 1930. Higgins died in 1950. His expertise in sporting goods or sports is unknown."

It's interesting that Sears preferred 'J. C. Higgins' as a brand instead of 'John Higgins.' Could it have been a subtle swipe at J. C. Penney, who was just beginning to expand about that time?

Lorain Civil Defense Tower Erected – October 1953

One of those pieces of "Old Lorain" that very few people remember these days is the city's 1950s civil defense tower, used for watching for enemy aircraft, that was located behind the old City Hall. 

I've written about the tower several times. I guess I've been interested in it ever since my siblings and I drew a picture of it as part of a Saturday morning art class in 1968 at St. Mary High School run by local artist Paul Henschke.

The tower demonstrated Lorain's strong commitment to the Ground Observer Corps, consisting of civilian volunteer aircraft spotters, and Operation Skywatch.

1953 pamphlet

Before the tower was erected, Lorain's Operation Skywatch volunteers did their spotting from atop the Eagles Building, as noted in this article from the July 14, 1953 Lorain Journal.

Near the end of the article, it notes, "In a meeting today in Mayor John C. Jaworski's office it was decided to move the new lookout tower from the coast guard station to the vicinity of City Hall. Final decision in the matter will be left to city council at its July 20 meeting.

At that meeting, city council did indeed decide to install the tower behind city hall, although a few citizens had some other locations in mind, as noted in this article in the Journal on the day after the meeting.

By October 1953, Lorain planned to honor its Skywatch volunteers by celebrating  WULUSU ("Wake Up, Look Up, Sign Up") week. Medals and certificates would be awarded to volunteers (which I wrote about here) but the highlight of the week was the formal dedication of the new Skywatch tower behind City Hall. This October 17, 1953 Journal article tells the story.

And here's a photo from the October 23, 1953 Journal showing the tower building being lifted into place in preparation for its dedication.

By 1958, the city was still encouraging Ground Observer Corps volunteers to man the tower, as noted in this article that appeared in the Journal on July 22, 1958.

But a little over ten years later in January 1971, it was time for the tower to come down, as a new City Hall was on the way.

January 15, 1971 article from Journal

Restaurant Page – October 12, 1962

I like posting vintage Lorain Journal pages that showcase the various restaurants and social clubs. The pages are fun to look at and they provide a snapshot of the city when it was still a hotbed of eateries, nightclubs and organizations associated with various nationalities or veterans.

The above page from the October 12, 1962 Journal is dominated by the large ad announcing the change in management at Miraldi's Spaghetti House at 900 Broadway. I think it's interesting that the restaurant was serving Rosie's Pizza at its Tuesday Pizza Party. 

Miraldi's became The Corner Restaurant & Lounge by the mid-1980s, and Scorchers in the early 2000s.

Elsewhere on the page are ads for some old favorites that I've written about before: Kenny King's; Vian's; Lincoln Park; Lorain Arena; McDonald's; and Sherwood Inn. And this post included an ad for Ye Old Hen House.

Articles on the page include one that reports on the progress of autumn color throughout Ohio, including Lorain County. It's a nice feature.

Broadway Feed & Supply Articles – Oct. 1972 and Feb. 1974

When reminiscing with other Baby Boomers about the Lorain we remember from the 1960s and 70s, I often find that it's the incredible selection of small family-owned-and-run stores that make up some of the more pleasant memories. Much of what you were looking for (with some exceptions of course) was available at such a store within city limits, where you very likely dealt directly with the owner or possibly a member of the family. 

While there are still many family businesses that are serving their customers and creating new memories for the current generation, we all have our favorites of the ones that are long gone. These might include Steve's Shoe Repair, Bob's Donuts, Rudy Moc Studio, Andy's Hardware, Paul's Auto Body, Garwell's Bait & Tackle, Harry's Men's Wear, Driscol Music Co., etc. The list goes on and on.

One business that many of us remember was Broadway Feed & Supply, located at 1605 Broadway. The business dates back to 1945, as noted below in the article written by Staff Writer Jeff Kades that appeared in the October 11, 1972 Journal.

A June 12, 1945 Journal ad

"The pizza arrives cold but the Rogers' – C.E., 47, wife Marianne, 45, and son Gary, 18 – gulp it down in between the usual Saturday rush of customers at their Broadway Feed and Supply store in Lorain.

"Those who drop in are no longer the farmers of Lorain County who came to buy hay, straw, horse and chicken feed, back when the store was first established by C.E.'s mom and dad, Mr. and Mrs. B. A. Rogers, in 1945.

"True, they still come around every once in a while, but Lorain County is now more urban than agricultural.

"Broadway Feed today primarily sells pets. Customers are little kids, big kids, animal lovers, and those who just want to talk about their German Shepherd's feeding habits, or the castration of somebody's cats.

"C.E. took over in 1954 after his dad, now 75, retired and moved to Florida. But C.E.'s pocketbook kept telling him the feed business wasn't what it used to be.

"He diversified. He started hawking hamsters, parrots, monkeys, mice and tropical fish, along with chicken remedies, insecticides, and feeds."

****

In 1973, Joseph and Irene Ceh became the owners and operators of Broadway Feed and Supply.

An April 27, 1973 Journal ad

The Cehs received their own business profile in the Journal on Feb. 24, 1974.

The Cehs were the owner/operators of Broadway Feed and Supply until its 2005 closing.

That's a pretty impressive run for a small, local business; sixty years, same location and only two different family owners. 

I remember going in there every once in a while to buy a bag of niger thistle seed for Dad and his bird feeder. It was always interesting to look around, and there was an old-time atmosphere.

I did a "Then & Now" of the streetscape outside the building looking north on Broadway back here.

The ominous view of the former Broadway Feed and Supply
building from yesterday afternoon

Dial 7 Digits for Lorain Telephone – Oct. 11, 1966

Fifty-eight years ago today, the Journal ran the above article explaining a big change about to take place when it came to making a local call with the Lorain Telephone Company.

"Beginning November 6, you will have to dial seven digits instead of five when making local calls within the Lorain Telephone Company system," the article notes.

"The Lorain Telephone Company is switching to all-number dialing. The new system affects 54,000 telephone subscribers in Lorain, Avon, Avon Lake, Amherst, South Amherst, Vermilion and Birmingham exchange areas.

"Now, for example, when dialing Cherry 4-1101 you need only dial 4-1101. Under the new system, you will have to dial 244-1101. The "C' on the dial is 2 and the "H" is 4.

"The program is part of a continuous development of the Lorain Telephone Company, officials said. The firm spent $6 million between 1963 and 1965 and plans to spend another $5 million this year and next for expansion.

"Officials explained that the shift from the two-letter, five-digit dialing system was due to increase in telephone subscribers."

It's funny, but I remember specifically asking Mom when we were about to move in late 1965 from W. 30th to E. Skyline Drive if our phone number was going to change. The last four digits of our phone number was 5687 – easy for a little kid to remember because they were almost in ascending order. As it turns out, as Mom explained, our number didn't change, we took it with us to our new house.

Nowadays, many people can barely remember their own cell phone number. And the days of a directory where you could look up somebody's number are gone forever.