Lorain Journal Front Page – July 2, 1954

Seventy years ago this week, Lorain was getting ready to celebrate Independence Day. Above is the front page of the July 2, 1954 edition, giving us a glimpse of what was going on at that time.

Holidays usually mean lots of people on the road, and unfortunately that often means many traffic fatalities during the July 4th holiday. The Grim Reaper is featured in an effectively macabre cartoon, eagerly awaiting the tragic consequences of careless and reckless drivers. The shovel and basket are a nice touch.

As is often the case around early July, the lake flies made the news. The story entitled, "Lorain Visited by Hordes Of Unwelcome Cracklers" notes, "This year's first big invasion of lake flies last night brought with it the usual reaction – upturned noses.

"The only consolation is that the flies, known by many names, are of the ephemeroptera family. This means they usually only live 24 hours, but a few last three or four days.

"Many people call them Canadian soldiers. Others call them American soldiers, Yankee soldiers, May, June, fish or shad flies. But no matter what they are called, the smell and the mess they make of city streets and homes to which they cling are still the same."

I remember Mom telling me that Lorain used to use front-end loaders to clean up the dead lake flies that had piled up in the streets. Mom also said that they were all over the sidewalks in Downtown Lorain and that people actually slipped on them. What's funny is that I don't think I ever experienced the full impact of the lake flies until I lived in Sheffield Lake.

In Vermilion, McGarvey's Restaurant was sponsoring the annual McGarvey Memorial Races, with thirty-five boats from Lorain, Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Toledo competing. Street dancing in Vermilion was also going to be featured on Friday and Saturday nights

One small news item is pretty interesting, noting that "After nearly five years on the bottom of Lake Erie, the John S. McKerchy [sic] will float today. A crew from the L. A. Wells Construction Co. is expected to bring the sunken vessel to the surface today.

"Work at raising the sand sucker, which sunk off Lorain October 16, 1950, killing the Skipper, Horace Johnson, has been going on several weeks."

If you'd like to know more about the John M. McKerchey, click here to read about it on the Great Lakes BGSU website. You can also read the Coast Guard's detailed report about the ship and its sinking.