Ken Steinhoff, Author at Cape Girardeau History and Photos

September 18, 2014

Time and Termites Take Toll

When I photographed McLain’s Chapel in the Indian Creek Community in 2011 for a story published in 2012, I wondered how many more winters it would survive. The answer is in this photo.

Time and termites took their toll. Massive beams had been hollowed out over the years.

Where did marker go?

I looked around for the marker that stood next to the building but couldn’t find a trace of it, and LaFern Stiver said she didn’t know where it had been taken. (I remember her reaction when I pointed out that the word “original” was spelled wrong on the stone. It made her old school-teacher hair bristle. Some stone cutter somewhere got his virtual knuckles rapped, I’m sure.)

Here’s my original post with photos and a history of the chapel. It has an interesting (and bloody) past.

September 18, 2014September 18, 2014

Happy Days: Gas Hits $3.03

When we were teenagers pumping gas when it was going for $.36.9, did we ever dream we’d be excited to see gas drop to $3.03 like it did at the gas station in Jackson on Wednesday?

I was pretty happy when I filled up in Pilot Knob for $3.11 on Tuesday. I had been driving for quite awhile after the Low Fuel Light had come on. I calculated in my head that we could make it all the way back to Cape, plus or minus 20 miles on the gas that was in the tank.

I felt pretty comfortable with the “plus” part, but didn’t want to walk from somewhere west of Millersville in the dark if the “minus” part turned out to be right, so I filled the tank to be on the safe side. I guess the $1.28 extra I spent was worth the peace of mind.

Gas station stories over the years

September 17, 2014

A REAL Highway Patrol Car

THIS is the way a state highway patrol car should look: two-tone paint scheme with a big logo on the side. Fins. Bubble gum machine on the top.

Who cares about aerodynamics when you have a big engine under the hood.

Big mechanical siren bolted to the fender. One that took several seconds to wind up to full volume, then took just as long to die out when it was turned off. That siren didn’t yelp, bleat, burp or play bird songs: it had the voice of authority.

Don’t forget the big 96-inch low-band two-way radio whip antenna that would go thumpa, thumpa thumpa when the vehicle stopped suddenly. Bad guys soon learned that nobody outruns Motorola.

When you look at this car, you think of Broderick Crawford growling, “Two-Fifty-One to Headquarters,” not some chirpy pretty boys like Jon and Ponce on their CHIPs motorcycles worrying if the wind is going to muss their hair.

Yep, this is a car I’d rather see at the SEMO District Fair than in my rearview mirror.

Older stories and photos of Missouri Highway Patrolmen

September 16, 2014

American Motors

I shot these photos of American Motors November 3, 2013, intending to do some research on the business, but I never got around to it. The building was on S. Kingshighway north of the intersection with South Sprigg and the old Viaduct Court. It was south of John’s Metal Iron and Salvage (AKA John’s Junk Yard).

It’s gone now

Mother and I took a quick drive down to Dutchtown Monday afternoon, made a quick turn on the old Highway 61 that leads to the Diversion Channel boat ramp to see how much the Mississippi was backing up into the Big Ditch, then headed north on Kingshighway.

When we got to where these photos were taken, Mother said, “Something’s missing.”

She was right. All that was left of American Motors was the parking lot.

Anybody remember anything about it? I’m sure I was never in there.