Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part II (Texas City: fertilizer, comparison)

[wpme]

I got to go to the Aztec Theater once, maybe early eighties? WOW, it was a cool theater, but my brother did get rolled for .50c in the bathroom

[huckster]

I know whom you write of ( Rudoplph Valentino) but never paid any attention to any silent movie. Way before our day, but I thought these downtown theaters were built before the days of Vaudeville so presumed Vaudeville acts were performed there inside the theaters. I suppose the theaters are not that old now.
Except of course excluding the great silent comedian Charlie Chaplain, whose sight gags don't need any audio to be hilarious, pure slapstick. Chaplain was unique to that time. Harold LLoyd was it(?) was also very funny.

Yes, Loop 410 was the edge of town in the sixties alright. That I do, can remember . Southside edge ended way before what is today the inner loop. I have no memory of when Loop 410 was built but I can recall watching I-37 being built. All of those southside houses were demolished for room for the new freeway. Must have been hundreds of them.
I remember the construction of Loop 1604. It was done piecemeal. Bit by bit.
Of course there was always Loop 13. This is where the southside edge was back then. That place is sort of a rat race now, Loop 13 is compared to back then. So much more crowded and surely over developed compared to the fifties and sixties.
' Wondered what ever became of that old Locomotive that used to sit on Broadway, Rancho.

Originally Posted by ranchodrive

I remember my grandma telling me that she saw silent film star Rudolph Valentino
& also a very young Clark Gable in San Antonio.
(Some may not have an idea of whom I’m writing about....

But I like the history, people & events of San Antonio, so I have an idea .


She saw these players in tent shows, (vaudeville).
The location was on Broadway St. around Grayson St.
Near where the Kodak Co.building used to be.

On Broadway St. around this area is a park where a locomotive engine
was located. It has been relocated to the train depot downtown.

The time period for these shows would be in the early 1920s. She mentioned
that Broadway St. was not the main thoroughfare to downtown.

It was Alamo Street, complete with horse drawn street cars.

She attended Incarnate Word College & told me that Broadway & Hildebrand Streets
were the outskirts of San Antonio, with not many buildings beyond that .

For me the outskirts were where North Star Mall is currently located.
I know because my dad would drive my aunt to a home on the North to baby-sit
the kids for a family when I was very young.
There were no malls or huge buildings, mostly open fields & the airport.

Later, when I had to go overseas for my tour of duty. My folks took me to the airport.
Back then there was no security & we could walk all the way on the ramp towards the
airplane.



Postscript:
Thank You > Total Lunar Eclipse - Sept. 27 / 28, 2015

[ranchodrive]

Originally Posted by huckster

Wondered what ever became of that old Locomotive that used to sit on Broadway, Rancho.

I would've liked to have seen how they managed to move the old engine.

I did make a video of the old Fairmont Hotel when it was transferred to the current location
by La Villita when I was at KWEX.

I also took the Sunset train from SA to Calif. during my tour of military duty.
The pace of the train at times was so slow, I could see an ant crawl up on one side of
the train & get off on the other side with no problem.

[huckster]

While exaggerated some Rancho, I know what you meant about the speed of
old machinery in these parts years ago. While I entertain the doubt that an ant could have crawled over a moving train en route to Ca. and had time descend the other side- the following is, true.
The following is not axaggeration. Memorable it was- to still be remembered some 50 years later.

While returning from an outing @ Garner State Park in the 1960 Ford Galaxy four door sedan Dad had bought ( a lemon since the day it left the old Jordan Ford dealership by the way) we were on Highway 90 eastbound of course. Probably 1962.
As we made our way between Hondo to Castroville we came upon an odd sight. Were approaching slowly an old dated Fire Engine en route to a housefire or whatever. The destination was unknown - the speed of the Fire truck was what was entirely memorable, to this day I can recall it.
With Bells clanging, sirens blaring and guys in firehats and raincoats hanging off the sides of the thing as they used to do years ago, these folks were very apparently hell bent on an emergency call somewhere in that vicinity eastbound on Highway 90.
To all appearances, these guys were very intent on arriving as quickly as possible. However instead we easily passed that old emergency vehicle, it must have been going 30 -40 mph wide open,so the old Ford easily passed all those guys hanging off the truck. They eventually disappeared from sight behind us. This was not good especially if some person was in dire straits while waiting for them to arrive.
Perhaps the little towns did not have the money to upgrade to a faster vehicle, but the county surely needed it.
It looked for all the world like a silent episode of the old slapstick Max Sennet, Keystone cops series.
Though surely it was not comical, it was a pretty unbelievable sight- this scenario surely never should have been experienced.

Originally Posted by ranchodrive

I would've liked to have seen how they managed to move the old engine.

I did make a video of the old Fairmont Hotel when it was transferred to the current location
by La Villita when I was at KWEX.

I also took the Sunset train from SA to Calif. during my tour of military duty.
The pace of the train at times was so slow, I could see an ant crawl up on one side of
the train & get off on the other side with no problem.

[ranchodrive]

Originally Posted by huckster

While exaggerated some Rancho, I know what you meant about the speed of
old machinery in these parts years ago. While I entertain the doubt that an ant could have crawled over a moving train en route to Ca. and had time descend the other side- the following is, true.
The following is not axaggeration. Memorable it was- to still be remembered some 50 years later.

While returning from an outing @ Garner State Park in the 1960 Ford Galaxy four door sedan Dad had bought ( a lemon since the day it left the old Jordan Ford dealership by the way) we were on Highway 90 eastbound of course. Probably 1962.
As we made our way between Hondo to Castroville we came upon an odd sight. Were approaching slowly an old dated Fire Engine en route to a housefire or whatever. The destination was unknown - the speed of the Fire truck was what was entirely memorable, to this day I can recall it.
With Bells clanging, sirens blaring and guys in firehats and raincoats hanging off the sides of the thing as they used to do years ago, these folks were very apparently hell bent on an emergency call somewhere in that vicinity eastbound on Highway 90.
To all appearances, these guys were very intent on arriving as quickly as possible. However instead we easily passed that old emergency vehicle, it must have been going 30 -40 mph wide open,so the old Ford easily passed all those guys hanging off the truck. They eventually disappeared from sight behind us. This was not good especially if some person was in dire straits while waiting for them to arrive.
Perhaps the little towns did not have the money to upgrade to a faster vehicle, but the county surely needed it.
It looked for all the world like a silent episode of the old slapstick Max Sennet, Keystone cops series.
Though surely it was not comical, it was a pretty unbelievable sight- this scenario surely never should have been experienced.

As you know, it was obviously a grand exaggeration on my part, I was merely trying to
make a point...but thanks for quoting me !


Another memorable thing was while returning from an antique car show in New Braunfels
some years ago.

I decided to return to San Antonio by way of IH 35.
My truck was a 1946 Chevrolet pick-up with the original stove-bolt 216 engine.
The highest speed I could muster from the old iron was about 40 mph & at that speed,
the engine was struggling.

I was on the middle lane.
The traffic was going so fast that I actually felt like I was traveling backwards.

And that my friend is no exaggeration.

I got off the freeway & took the access road to come home.

To stay on the freeway would've been dangerous not only to me, but more important,
to the other drivers as well.

Gone But Not Forgotten....
When the highway speed limit was comfortable enough to enjoy the ride.
Today everything is so fast & seems like everyone is in a big rush !

[huckster]

Interesting tales of travel. I have traveled all over by automobile, Rancho, and I can easiliy identify with these.
I now own a more modern version, the direct descendent of your, - "A stove bolt six cylinder chevy engine in a 1946 pickup".
In a Chevrolet Trailblazer. The differences are vast not just in years either- between the two engines.
Nowadays that stovebolt six- has evolved into an Aluminum , four valves per cylinder, dual overhead cam, fuel injected inline six with variable valve timing, and a four speed automatic Corvette transmission behind it in its' stock form.
At 275 H.P. the Trailblazer - it hauls ass nowadays ! 2000 rpm at 65 mph (freeway speed) and will spin the back tires from a standstill and.... at a weight of 4600 lbs.
That now, is progress. ?
It also has that option , air conditioning which might not have been available on the 46' model.
I can only imagine heading out on the open highway , in one of those old pickups.
A much belated "welcome back" to you.

Say ? You were military?
You haven't been running all over, with a flag, up and down the streets of the near northside, have 'ya Rancho ? Nearer a McDonalds drive through perhaps ?
I didn't think so. Sure?
Just thought I'd ask. You being so familiar with the T.V. camera lens and all,

[ranchodrive]

Originally Posted by huckster

A much belated "welcome back" to you.

Say ? You were military?
You haven't been running all over, with a flag, up and down the streets of the near northside, have 'ya Rancho ? Nearer a McDonalds drive through perhaps ?
Sure?
Just thought I'd ask.

Military ? Yessir

Running all over with a flag near northside ? Are you kidding ?

McDonalds ? No way jose

I once went cycling by the golf course over by Brackenridge.

There used to be a horse stable where you could rent a horse.

[macvsog13]

When I was a kid in the 50's and 60's, there was a store on WW White Rd before Southcross called the Walking Pig...and it had a huge pig cut out of would and it was mechanized so it actually went through the motions of walking! Was it a bar b que or meat market...I cannot remember....also down the same road, going north, before a drive in called Jay's, maybe even before Rigsby intersection, there was an ice house or bar that you either went in for a beer or parked in front of the place and they would come out and take your order and on either Tuesday or Thursday nights the lady would give out free hot cornbread...and it was good!
I remember this.

[TexasRedneck]

Sure you're not talking about the old Pig Stand?

[elnina]

Perhaps a Pig Stand?
The History of the Pig Stands : TMBBQ