How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Scottsdale: outside, video)

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by David Wendell

A friend and I were returning from one of those wild rides and for some reason my scooter crashed on Central Ave (can't remember). That old ashphalt tore off my shoes, ripped my skin and clothes and took away a lot of hair. The cops came upon that and wanted to call an ambulance. I begged off and they gave me a ride home but exacted a promise from my parents to take me to Memorial Hospital Emergency. It was $45.00 and I grew the skin and hair back eventually. Your dad was wise to discourage the Cushman guy.

I grew up just North of the Salt River Bed around 10th St. It was South Phoenix but not South of the Salt River. It was a tough, poor neighborhood and we certainly fell into the "Poor" part. There was an auction, "Paul's Auction" on Mohave St. and my friends and I would gather up junk from anywhere but mostly downtown dumpsters, on our bicycles, and run it through the auction. We actually had a good time and always made a few $$$. Collecting pop bottles and tincans paid well too. Maybe we were "Pickers" and did not know it! I think that I remember the school teachers best. I owe them a lot. They were so dedicated and so interested in getting us educated properly. It was an incredibly diverse neighborhood with a common bond of poverty.

Pop bottles were "legal tender" back in the '60's weren't they? I washed cars for $0.25 and many times the "pay" was a case or two of pop bottles...I'd bring my wagon around and load up. At $0.02 per bottle deposit it was a good way to make $$ and it was surely more than the twenty-five cents I charged. Most times in those days kids didn't have any money...many times I'd head off to the Circle K and collect a few bottle along the way and if I could get down there with 5 that would give me ten cents and that was enough for a cold coke (to drink there and avoid the deposit) and a couple of pieces of penny candy.

I was in a convenience store last week and two kids came in and purchased the usual junk and paid for it with a couple of twenties! I couldn't believe it. The clerk told me that a lot of neighborhood kids have their own debit cards. Boy am I behind the times!

I think it was pretty common in those days not to panic if kids came home bloody...assess the damage and most times put a band-aid on it and send the kid back out to play. Today my d.i.l.'s rush my grandkids off to the emergency room if they skin their knees. It's a different day.

[David Wendell]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

This is a rare postcard and sure to get a comment or two.

Attachment 93841

What a great gas station! It did have electric pumps and was so nice and clean. I wonder what the decorations on the roof peaks are? For some reason I just never though Phoenix had such great service stations. Thank You for another outstanding part of Phoenix history!

[David Wendell]

Originally Posted by trillcatz

Pop bottles were "legal tender" back in the '60's weren't they? I washed cars for $0.25 and many times the "pay" was a case or two of pop bottles...I'd bring my wagon around and load up. At $0.02 per bottle deposit it was a good way to make $$ and it was surely more than the twenty-five cents I charged. Most times in those days kids didn't have any money...many times I'd head off to the Circle K and collect a few bottle along the way and if I could get down there with 5 that would give me ten cents and that was enough for a cold coke (to drink there and avoid the deposit) and a couple of pieces of penny candy.

I was in a convenience store last week and two kids came in and purchased the usual junk and paid for it with a couple of twenties! I couldn't believe it. The clerk told me that a lot of neighborhood kids have their own debit cards. Boy am I behind the times!

I think it was pretty common in those days not to panic if kids came home bloody...assess the damage and most times put a band-aid on it and send the kid back out to play. Today my d.i.l.'s rush my grandkids off to the emergency room if they skin their knees. It's a different day.

Yes! Pop bottles were as good as monaey it seemed. The large ones, maybe they were a quart or something like, that brought more $$ but I cannot remember how much. The wooden crates had value too.

On 7th St, North of Mohave, there was a place called Maffeo and Sons (something like that). They bought the tin (steel) cans of the day. Aluminum cans were not around in those days. They had a rotary incinerator and a conveyor gizmo fed the cans into a rotary furnace. We could not figure that out but we were told they melted the thin layer of tin, for recovery, from the cans. Tin was valuable and it coated the inside of the cans which were actually made of steel. I think we got one cent per pound.

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by trillcatz

Pop bottles were "legal tender" back in the '60's weren't they? ...

As a kid a group of us would scour the neighborhood for deposit bottles. In the late 60s/early 70s there were the throwaway "NO DEPOSIT NO RETURN" bottles that were frustrating to a kid looking for extra change. Every deposit bottle was a score. After collecting quite a few, and the best location was the Indian Bend Wash between Osborn and Chapparal, we'd head off to Earl's and cash them in for a cold six-pack (of Shasta, at 12 cents a can) or if particularly successful, maybe a treat at Markgraf's fountain.

I don't remember if it was 1971 or 1972, but there was one year the Wash flooded in June and the standing water was at the NW corner of Hayden and Indian School for a good chunk of the summer.

[1937Gal]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

LOL.. Old Timers? Hey come on now, I'm an Arizona native and I'm only 55!

I graduated high school in 1975, and I remember cruising Central Ave between Camelback and south to McDowell. McDonald's on Central and Indian School was our favorite place to eat, and before they built the office building across from Park Central, that was a dirt lot, we used to park there and crank up the music, and flirt with the girls. I did that up until I met my high school and college girlfriend then I had to stop flirting with other girls..

I AM an old timer...born in 1937 at St. Joseph's Hospital at the OLD location by Phoenix Union High School. We cruised Central in the 50s, turning around at Central and McDowell in the parking lot of Phoenix Library, and we cruised north, passed Camelback and Carnation Ice Cream, and turned left by the A.D. McClain Real Estate building, back out on Central and headed South again.
Oh what fun...

[trillcatz]

Originally Posted by David Wendell

Yes! Pop bottles were as good as monaey it seemed. The large ones, maybe they were a quart or something like, that brought more $$ but I cannot remember how much. The wooden crates had value too.

On 7th St, North of Mohave, there was a place called Maffeo and Sons (something like that). They bought the tin (steel) cans of the day. Aluminum cans were not around in those days. They had a rotary incinerator and a conveyor gizmo fed the cans into a rotary furnace. We could not figure that out but we were told they melted the thin layer of tin, for recovery, from the cans. Tin was valuable and it coated the inside of the cans which were actually made of steel. I think we got one cent per pound.

lol sounds like 'recycling' was happening before it was responsible...can you imagine the toxic smoke coming from that incinerator? Again, much has changed.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by 1937gal

i am an old timer...born in 1937 at st. Joseph's hospital at the old location by phoenix union high school. We cruised central in the 50s, turning around at central and mcdowell in the parking lot of phoenix library, and we cruised north, passed camelback and carnation ice cream, and turned left by the a.d. Mcclain real estate building, back out on central and headed south again.
Oh what fun...

[roosevelt]

This postcard always gets good response.

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

Attachment 93892
This postcard always gets good response.

gee, I liked it better before the light rail...and before United Bank became something else.....and before Jack In The Box changed its logo....and before station wagons disappeared.....and when Corvettes were cool....

and when the license plates were yellow and green (and on both the front and back (thank you, Symington!!))

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

Attachment 93892
This postcard always gets good response.

Back when Jack in the Box had 2 benches and tables inside the "restaurant" and sold the infamous Jack Taco.

It looks like the postcard's a bit faded... I remember the UB building as being a bit more turquioise.