Cape Girardeau History and Photos

October 6, 2015

The Bootery

I’ve probably been in Broussard’s a dozen or so times when a Cajun craving hit, but I never noticed “The Bootery” set into the entrance before this visit.

If you click the photo to make it larger, you can see my reflection in the glass. It was a warm day, so I didn’t commit the terrible fashion faux pas of wearing socks with my sandals.

Search came up empty

A search of The Missourian archive for “Bootery” turned up empty. I turned to Google next. It took me to a 1959 Life Magazine ad for Roblee shoes. The word “bootery” was used by a lot of shoe stores, but the only listing for Cape was C.S. Gaylor.

Gaylor’s was where we usually went to buy shoes. I was always disappointed that Mother wouldn’t let me play with the neat fluoroscope that let you see your toes inside your shoes (while delivering a mass of x-ray radiation to your gonads). You can read more about the machine here.

What was at 120 Main?

My next trick was to search for the store’s address, 120 North Main street. Still pretty much dry except for a 1938 ad for The Smart Shop. The building next door at 118 North Main was being vacated by Vogelsanger Hardware Company.

The Smart Shop was showing furs from St. Louis, but you could buy a quality rayon Giana crepe for $6.50 at Hecht’s. (I don’t know whether you’re supposed to eat, hang or wear a crepe, so you’ll have to tell me if that’s a good deal.)

Follow Santa’s Trail

The Smart Shop was mentioned in this Christmas contest ad in the December 6, 1939, Missourian. It’s fascinating to see how many businesses were still around 30 years later. You’re definitely going to have to click this one to make it larger to read the names.

Bootery mystery

Someone else is going to have to fill me in on the background of The Bootery. I couldn’t come up with any information about it.

October 4, 2015

Depressing Press News

Flipping over to Page 2A in my old newspaper, The Palm Beach Post, while munching on a bagel loaded with cream cheese I almost knocked over my cup of coffee, when this house ad jumped out at me. The paper was bragging that it “has more than 100+ journalists reporting the news for you every day in print and online.”

Reminds me of the Good Ole Days

Back almost exactly 27 years ago, on September 30, 1988, we were handing out mugs that crowed that we were “America’s Fastest Growing Major Daily Newspaper.” Now, to be honest, I think there should have been some asterisks surrounding that claim, but it was mostly true. We were growing staff, circulation and revenue like there was no tomorrow.

The treasurer said, “We could park a wheelbarrow out in front of the building and people would throw money in it.” (In fairness, in 2008, he added, “One day we went out and the wheelbarrow was empty. The next day when we checked, the wheelbarrow was gone.”)

WE had bragging rights

The 2015 Post is proud that it has 100+ journalists.

Here’s the editorial makeup of the paper on August 28, 2007, a year before the first 300-person purge took place and before our production and circulation departments were outsourced. Palm Beach Newspapers, Inc., had 1,414 employees in all departments at that time.

The newsroom had 317 employees in 16 departments. Here’s the breakdown:

401 News Admin – 12
402 Metro – 62
403 News Desk – 28
404 Sports – 42
405 Features – 33
406 Business – 16
407 Community News – 22
408 Wash Buro – 1
409 Library – 11
410 Graphics – 10
412 Opinion – 12
414 Media – 1
415 Arts & Entertainment – 10
416 State – 19
417 Web – 13
419 Photo – 25

We might have had some fat

We might have had some fat in 2007, but I can’t believe that you can cut two-thirds of your news-Hoovering folks with centuries of institutional knowledge, then brag about your “more than 100+ journalists” in an advertisement. (When I posted this to Facebook, someone pointed out that “more than 100+” is redundant. Maybe that’s what happens when you get rid of copy editors.)

Click on the photo to read my name as part of the Class of 1972.

October 4, 2015March 2, 2016

Brother Boppin’ Lincoln Logs

Deep from the bowels of the attic (you’re going to hear that phrase a lot) came this box of Lincoln Logs, with some colorful wooden stacking circles mixed in. (Click on the photo to make it larger.)

The construction toy was first produced by John Lloyd Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright, in 1916. The Lincoln Log name was registered on August 28, 1923. Several histories speculate that the idea for the logs came when John saw his father building the earthquake-proof Imperial Hotel in Japan. Here’s more information from the Chicago Historical Society,

As a side note, Lincoln Logs were one of the first toys to be advertised on television, starting in 1953. The target audience was said to be middle to upper-class families who had a TV in their home and could afford to purchase educational toys for their children.

Perfect for brother-boppin’

The longer pieces, made out of redwood in the old days, were long enough that you could swing them hard enough to get your bother’s attention. When we got around to buying a set for our kids in the 1970s, the pieces were shorter, too short to administer a good thumpin.’ In fact, for a time, they were made of plastic.

Holy Cowboys and Native Americans!

These and other treasures like the Martian Magic Tricks may already be on the shelves at Annie Laurie’s Antique Shop in case you’re looking for vintage toys.

I just did a quick Google search for the magic trick assortment. It sells for $50 to $200 if it’s in good condition. (Knowing my destructive brothers – also a phrase you’ll hear often – I doubt that it was in good condition. They probably let all the magic leak out.)

September 26, 2015June 5, 2021

“I’d Rather Be Married”

Tucked away in an envelope in a nondescript Bible buried in a metal cabinet that hadn’t been opened in decades was this telegram to Mother that validates a story that she told for years. (Click on the photo to make it large enough to read.)

Washington would never have been the same

Had this young college girl from Advance jumped at the War Department’s offer to become to junior clerk or typist in Washington, D.C., for the munificent salary of $1,440 per annum, D.C. would never had been the same.

“I’d rather be married than type”

When Mother told the story, she always said, “I’d rather be married than type.”

Dad and Mother were in a movie theater when the word about the attack on Pearl Harbor broke. When they came out, my grandfather said, “If you kids are going to get married, you’d better do it right away.”

And, they did, exactly one month later, on January 7, 1942.

The telegram has a time of day stamp – 3:23 p.m. – but it doesn’t have a date, so I don’t know when it was sent.

One of those things

We’ve had a long-standing family tradition of giving the car horn two short beep beeps when we pull out of the driveway. When I left Cape on Friday, I backed out onto Kingsway Drive, then, out of habit, went “BeepBeep.”

That’s when it hit me: there was nobody there to hear my good-bye beeps. Dammit, it’s those little things that sneak up on you.