It’s that time of the week again! This week’s blast from the past includes some festive Halloween memories and a look back at ice skating in the 1950’s. All pictures are courtesy of Retro Quad Cities.
How things have changed! This is from June 1910 when the police department received its first horseless carriage, a Pope-Fordham, manufactured in St.Louis. This squad car was completely black and the men immediately dubbed it the “Black Mariah.” A virtual storm of criticism surrounded the introduction of the “Black Mariah” paddy wagon. Some authorities felt that the good old days were gone because the patrolman was no longer walking a beat. The vehicle was used to answer distress calls from officers who walked the beats and who used the new call box system. The first motorized police vehicle in the city was also delegated as an ambulance when needed. Police officers were responsible to render first aid until 1953. Ambulance duties were taken over the by the Fire Department.
A timeless Quad Cities classic, this was a picture from 1957 of the Whitey’s Ice Cream original location on 23rd Ave. in Moline. This street is now known as the Avenue of Cities.
Winter’s coming! As this pic shows, ice skating in 1950’s Vander Veer Park in Davenport was one of the Quad Cities “hotspots” to go ice skating.
And here’s an appropriate picture for this time of year! This is a snapshot from 1957 at the Garfield School in Moline. At one time, most schools had entire school participation for their classroom Halloween Party and finished off the school day with a Halloween Parade of the surrounding neighborhood.
