Muddy Tracks At Abbe Creek

Were these tracks made by a velociraptor chasing proto-marsupials who strayed into 42N country eons ago? Chances are these prints can be attributed to a Canada goose and perhaps a single raccoon. Hardened mud becomes preserved by layering dry matter, which in turn can protect tracks for years. Maybe these Abbe Creek (41.94N, 91.45W) mud tracks will be uncovered in a zillion years. Discoverers might trace the footprints to also find muddy shoe impressions cropped just outside this photo. The conclusion reached will be that the animals were scared off by a Bigfoot or Yeti. Know that.

Tama, Iowa's Lincoln Highway Bridge: Then and Now

The Lincoln Highway bridge located in 42N country's Tama, Iowa (41.96N, 92.57W) is almost as old as the highway itself. The unique bridge with the words, LINCOLN HIGHWAY built in the side walls was constructed in 1915, just two years after the idea of the highway hatched. It is believed to be the oldest surviving bridge along the original highway.

Above is a photo believed to be from 1915. Looking east over the bridge is the mud filled highway featuring a horse drawn wagon. The bottom photo was taken 95 years later on March 21, 2010 looking in the same direction. Note how much construction is located along the highway.

In 2010 the Highway 30 (Lincoln Highway) Tama by-pass project is under construction to the left of these photos. The new speedway skirts around this area and will greatly reduce the traffic near the bridge. Once completed travellers on the new Highway 30 will not readily see the bridge or the King Tower Cafe without making a special side journey. The restaurant opened in 1937 as a one-stop filling station, garage, wrecker service, café, and featured 18 cabins. It is located along the original Lincoln Highway just about a half mile east from this bridge (on the left.)Join the 3rd Annual Iowa Lincoln Highway Motor Tour across Iowa from August 26-29, 2010 with a stop in Tama. For more information contact Jeff LaFollette at 563-349-3047 or email at jefflaf@peoplepc.com. Know that.

Passing of Fess Parker: Both "King of the Wild Frontier" and "What a Dream-Come-er-True-er Was He"

Fess Parker passed away on Thursday, March 18th. The actor was best known for playing Disney's version of American frontiersman, Davy Crockett during the mid-1950s. Later, Parker played another bigger-than-life frontiersman, Daniel Boone on the NBC television network from 1964 to 1970.

Parker became an instant icon in the early days of television and was associated with the mega-merchandising of anything coonskin, long rifle and musically related to the Crockett series. Today that first wave of mass marketing via the young TV generation defines the emergence of the modern consumer market. Crockett was gold.

While 42N's exposure to Fess Parker initially came through watching the Daniel Boone TV show, reruns of the Crockett series on Sunday night's Wonderful World of Disney introduced the popular actor to the next generation of impressionable skulls of mush.

For the Boone series, the standout episode for 42N was the first season's The Choosing (air date 10-29-1964) where Daniel accidentally cuts his leg with an axe in the wilderness while travelling with his daughter Jemima (played by Veronica Cartwright.) She patches him up and guides him through hostile territory, gets kidnapped and finally find their way back home.

42N's video tribute to Fess Parker is shown below - in full 78 rpm glory. This recording features Fess singing the theme song known as the Ballad of Davy Crockett.

Fess Parker will forever be the King of the Wild Frontier. What a dream-come-er-true-er was he. Know that.

Bald Eagle Sightings Along Upper Mississippi River

Melting ice along 42N's Mississippi River areas means one thing this time of year - the gathering of the American Bald Eagles. Nestled in a quiet cove just south of East Dubuque, Illinois is a spot where these birds assemble for more than just resting.

At this particular location eight Bald Eagles and hundreds of sea gulls watch over a rapidly melting area of ice. Upon sighting their targets the eagles unleash themselves from the branches and soar overhead, catching the warm winds of nearly 60 degrees today.

Their mission is to catch a meal by selecting a few of the hundreds of dead fish floating just under thin ice. Birds waited for the fish to roll to the surface or in some cases pecked through the ice to grab a crappie, perch or small catfish.

Warm temperatures also brought scores of people to view the once endangered birds. Now it is quit common to see eagles gathered in number to grab a bite of fish. Know that.

Oil Can What?

Dorothy and the Scarecrow meet the Tin Man (with the help of 42N oil cans.)

Dorothy

Why, it's a man! A man made out of tin!

Scarecrow

What?

Dorothy

Yes, Oh - look!

Tin Man

Oil can! Oil can!

Dorothy

Did you say something?

Tin Man

Oil can!

Dorothy

He said Oil can.

Scarecrow

Oil can what?

Dorothy

Oil can? Oh!

Tin Man

Ahhh!

Dorothy

Here it is! Where do you want oiled first?

--------------------------------------

From the 1939 MGM - Wizard of Oz Script

 

42N

Know that.

Frytown, Iowa: A Study of Contrast

42N country's Frytown, Iowa (latitude 41.57N, longitude 91.73W) is a small farming community in eastern Iowa. Located between Iowa City and Kalona the region is home to Amish and Mennonite families. Nearby is a FAA radio beacon used to guide intercontinental air traffic between coasts. On sunny days you can spot scores of jets flying nearly overhead from horizon to horizon going east to west and west to east. Little do the 21st-century air travellers know that 33,000 feet below them is a community that embraces some practices from the 19th-century.

While in Frytown for an auction (photo above from the horse hitch area of the auction house) an Amish farmer showed me how their clothes are pressed by irons made around 1900. The auction featured many local farm tools including the old non-electric irons. In return I showed him and two of his friends how my Blackberry works. They heard of the device but had not seen one demonstrated. The younger guy seemed the most interested and asked several questions including whether it had news of the earthquake in Chile that occurred that morning. His older friend offered a sceptical eye. Know that.

Twenty First Century Searching for the Classic Station Wagon

On-line research is a powerful way to obtain information quickly. Recently I came across this fascinating 8x10 sized photo of a unknown vehicle. I made a digital copy of the print not knowing anything about the car. The shiny black and white image was originally made by a sharp lens camera that left many details resolvable. In this case the year of the Illinois (a 42N state) license plate reads either 1951 or 1961.

Studying the photo reveals that the station wagon included wood paneling along its sides - a so called, Woodie. The search began for Woodie station wagons in Google with initial results showing Ford Woodies of surfing fame in California during the late 1950s and early 1960s - think Beach Boys. More refined Google searches ended the quest with an answer to what model is pictured above.

The auto from the shady countryside is a 1950 or 1951 Pontiac Streamliner 8 Station Wagon. In its day the automobile had Hydra-Matic transmission and 268.2 cubic inch engine with inline 8 cylinders that generated 113 hp. The car weighed a whopping 3,669 pounds - almost two tons! In 1950 Streamliners cost $2,411, that's about 65 cents per wood paneling and chrome plated pound.

Fifty years later a restoration project on another Streamliner is proudly shown below. Note the upside down canoe shaped paneling and side detailing by the wheels matching the black and white photo. While this Woodie is far from the endless summer waves of California, its nice to know that the car is still appreciated today. On-line research often yields results containing more than what is expected. Know that.

Listen To What the Man Said in Frytown, Iowa

To complete the trifecta of recent Beatle-related finds in 42N country is this 1975 single, Listen To What the Man Said from Wings. Found today is this 45 rpm single with its original picture sleeve at an auction in Frytown, Iowa (latitude 41.57N, longitude 91.73W.) While the record is in great condition the sleeve is punctured through the center.

The single is from the group's 1975 album, Venus and Mars, the followup work to the landmark Band on the Run album. On July 19, 1975 Listen To What the Man Said achieved number 1 on the (US) Billboard Hot 100 chart. Also in 1975, Wings begin playing concerts in Australia in anticipation of their upcoming 1976 world tour. That year McCartney played several locations in the US marking his return to American venue concerts since performing at Candlestick Park with the Beatles a decade earlier. Watch Paul and Wings sing Listen To What the Man Said at the Seattle King Dome here.

Sometimes the search for whatever you seek (like a record or ancestral connection or a job) contains long voids. Sometimes your search brings multiple successes and in quick succession. Within the past 48 hours I have found three Beatle-related items, actually four but did not report the fourth (a Mary Wells song sheet) due to condition issues. The wonder of it all. Know that.

Another Apple Score: Badfinger - Baby Blue

Another Apple 45 find yesterday. This time it was Badfinger's Baby Blue, composed and sung by band member and lead singer Pete Ham. In its day the recording was the group's last top 20 hit and the second from last single release for the band. Badfinger was one of the Beatles hand picked groups to record on the Apple label soon after the record company was launched in 1968. Apple catalog 1844 was recorded in England, produced by Todd Rundgren and issued in the US in March 1972. This particular record did not have a sleeve and is slightly warped but plays well for a 38-year old piece of vinyl - all for 48 cents.

Today I had still another Apple find in hand -- and it was another Badfinger single of all things, No Matter What. The particular record was well worn and the label was heavily scratched so I didn't purchase it. Got to draw the line somewhere. Know that.

The Hunt For Apple 8-Track Stereo

What is more rare than Beatles records on vinyl? Try finding mint condition, sealed Beatles recordings distributed on 8-Track cartridges. Yes, the icon of the 1970s can often fetch a few dollars more than similar traditional vinyl.

Today in 42N country's Dubuque, Iowa a local thrift store provided this well worn 8-Track sleeve minus a cartridge. Oh there were other 8-Tracks present but no Beatle cartridges. Knowing that the packaging alone will increase in value from the 50 cents spent, I jammed a non-relevant 8-Track into the Apple container since the sleeve alone was not for sale. I chose the Beach Boys Endless Summer cartridge. The label says its equivalent to 2 8-Track cartridges.

The hunt for Beatle 8-Tracks continues with the knowledge that the market is increasing for 1970s music material coupled with the sheer novelty of the 8-Track format. Nothing like listening to a song, have it fade out at mid-tune, automatically click over to the next channel, fade-in and continue playing - a key selling point and the reason why the format did not survive. Know that.

This Way to BallyK

Its almost St. Patrick's Day and a pint is in order. Look no further than Fitzgerald's Pub in Ballykissangel, Ireland. From 1996 to 2001 the BBC broadcast a fictional drama of the same name featuring real-life Avoca, a small town located south of Dublin. Today the town is a magnet for BallyK fans to see the pub, bridge, and church prominently featured in the six seasons of the show. Sheep (and a few cut-out sheep) still graze in the area, but sadly Eamon Byrne no longer tends the flock and Brian Quigley no longer builds his BallyK pipe dreams. Know that.

Quatermass' Martians At Hobbs End

Digging a London Underground station expansion near Hobbs End in 1967 led to an unearthing of a craft containing the remains of its long expired occupants. Was it a V weapon from World War II or something else? Better call Bernard Quatermass of the British Experimental Rocket Group. He'll figure this thing out.

Spoiler Alert: 5 Million Years to Earth was the US title of Quatermass and the Pit (UK) movie released in 1967 as the third in a series of Quatermass serials. The premise centered on the thought that creatures from another planet, Mars in this case, arrived here million of years ago to enslave early humans. The creatures accomplished this through telepathic means but ran into a problem. Along the way clues of their identity were tied to what was considered evil. Interesting concept.

Watch the 1967 trailer here.

This movie fuses several interesting elements - world war ii, martians, anthropology, old religious traditions and beliefs. Perhaps that's why this 42N blogger loves it. By the way, Spike Milligan loved it too. Read this early spoof of the movie here.  Know that.

Winter is Almost A Third Done

Winter blew into 42N country during the first week of December with lasting snow coverage and extreme cold. January has been no different. We await the vernal equinox.

The snowy farm (above) was photographed on St. Steven's Day last month. The property overlooks the Cedar River. This week while the river produces ice jams the City of Cedar Rapids is considering ways to manage the flows. Know that.

Nile Kinnick and the 1939 University of Iowa Football

Nile Kinnick and the 1939 Hawkeyes are remembered for a number of University of Iowa football accomplishments. That year the Hawkeyes finished at the No. 9 spot in the final AP rankings. During the 1939 season Nile Kinnick was associated with 107 of the 130 points Iowa scored, played 402 out of 420 possible minutes and set 14 school records.

Kinnick's awards from the 1939 season included being named a consensus first team All-American, the Big Ten MVP, the Walter Camp Award winner, the Maxwell Award winner, AP Male Athlete of the Year, and the Heisman Trophy winner - the school's only Heisman winner to date. The 1939 Heisman Trophy is currently on display at the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame.

Besides the larger than life statue of student Nile Kinnick dedicated in 2006 at the stadium bearing his name, is this team autographed football. The 1939 Hawkeyes penned their names on the ball (double click on the photo to see a larger version) which is on display at the University of Iowa Football offices just a block to the northwest of Kinnick stadium. Know that.