Category Archives: Wisconsin History

1949 TV Station List

1949TVstationlistThis listing of U.S. television stations appeared in the July 1949 issue of Radio Electronics.  It showed all stations on the air as of May 20 of that year.  Los Angeles now led the nation with the number of stations on the air with six:  KFI-TV, KLAC-TV,  KNBH, KTLA, KTSL, and KTTV.  New York had five stations on the air.  Chicago and Washington DC had four.  Baltimore, Detroit, and Philadelphia had three.

In the Upper Midwest, WTMJ-TV was on the air in Milwaukee, and KSTP-TV was on the air in St. Paul.



Milwaukee Girls Make Batteries, 1944

1944June18MilwJourSeventy-five years ago, wartime labor shortages meant that critical defense industries had to be creative when it came to staffing their plants. A logical source of labor came in the form of high school students, who eagerly took up the cause of defending the nation, and getting some spending money in the process. Today, there would probably be a great deal of hand wringing if kids were sent in to work with lead and acid, but these Milwaukee teens were eager to lend a hand.

Hundreds of students, both boys and girls, ages 16 and 17, were working for the Signal Battery Co. plant. Shown above cleaning batteries are Midge Wagner (left) of 2471 Fratney St. and Patsy Lee of 3219 N. Bartlett Ave. Both girls were students at Riverside High School. Also shown testing battery current is Mary Lou Burke of 2563 N. Farwell Ave., a student at Holy Angels Academy.

Northern Michigan University has on its website an interesting 1989 oral history interview with another teen worker at the battery plant, Evelyn Cieslick. She recounts:

I worked in a battery factory, in the summer when I was 16 years old, and we filled the acid that went into the batteries to make them work, and there weren’t enough boys around, so the girls took the summer jobs…. We worked in the factory and felt that we were doing our part in, for the war, along with everything else that was involved with giving up sacrifices for the war.

I had to take a bus to get there … in the mornings and, of course, work all day long, it was a summer job, and, like I said, all of us young people felt that we were doing our part by helping out. The name of the company was the Signal Battery Company. I’m sure they were for walkie talkies, and radios … for the war.

These photos appeared 75 years ago today in the June 19, 1944 issue of the Milwaukee Journal.  These young women are about 91 years old today.  We realize that people Google their own names, and we always enjoy hearing from people we have featured.  Please leave a comment below or e-mail me at clem.law@usa.net.  If you are one of the students shown here, thank you for your service to your country!



Electric Fences: 1939

1939MayRadioRetailingFenceThe May 1939 issue of Radio Retailing offered some advice for radio men thinking of diversifying their business–the electric fence.  The magazine pointed out that a fence needs to be “pig tight, horse high, and bull strong,” but that this ideal has never been fully arrived at.  But a small electrical jolt will encourage all animals to shun the fence completely, at a much lower cost.

The article noted that the concept of an electric fence was fairly new, and that a Wisconsin survey showed that only about ten percent of the farmers in that state were employing them.  Many states had adopted regulations prohibiting the direct connection to the electrical mains, so even in areas of rural electrification, the dealer would be able to sell batteries and chargers to satisfy the need.



1944 Car Tune-Up

1944May5MilJourA few weeks ago, we showed a snapshot of wartime grocery prices. Today, we show how much it cost to have your auto serviced 75 years ago. This ad appeared in the Milwaukee Journal on May 5, 1944.

Because of gasoline and tire shortages, it’s likely that most cars spent most of the war parked.  But even if they got little mileage, they would need occasional service.  And Sears Roebuck was there to help, with its Milwaukee service stations open until 9:00 every night except Sunday at 1337 W. Forest Home Ave. and 2100 W. North Ave.

A tune-up was $2.39 and included cleaning and inspecting the distributor, testing the coil condenser caps, and checking the spark plug wires for breakdown.  The spark plugs would be cleaned and the gap checked.

In addition, the service included inspection of the fuel pump and adjusting the carburetor.  The battery would be cleaned and refilled, and the generator, fan belt, and radiator would be inspected.

 



1944 Grocery Prices

1944April27MilJourHere’s a snapshot of grocery prices during World War II. This ad for National Tea Food Stores  appeared in the Milwaukee Journal 75 years ago today, April 27, 1944.

Many items were rationed.  For example, the beef and pork indicate how many points were needed, meaning that the shopper would need to redeem a ration coupon.  Other items, such as chicken and fish, are advertised as “no points,” meaning that they were not rationed.



Signal Corps Recruiting Women, 1944

1944Apr23MilJourSeventy-five years ago today, the April 23, 1944, issue of the Milwaukee Journal carried this article noting that recruiters from the Signal Corps were in Milwaukee looking for women to take jobs in Arlington, Virginia.

It’s likely that the women thus employed were part of the operations of radio station WAR, such as the operator shown below.

 



Milwaukee Radio Listings, April 10, 1944

1944Apr10MilJournal

Here’s what was on the radio 75 years ago today. These listings appeared in the Milwaukee Journal, April 10, 1944 and show programs for April 10 and 11.  (You can click twice on the image above for a larger version.)



Rolite Trailers, 1969

1969AprPMThis ad for Rolite trailers appeared fifty years ago this month in the April 1969 issue of Popular Mechanics. The Rolite was a solid-walled trailer that folded down. A 12-volt electric motor raised the roof and front and rear walls. The side walls were then raised manually, after which the roof was jogged down a couple of inches to lock everything in place.

Rolite was originally manufactured in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, in the mid-1960’s.  By the time this ad appeared, they had become part of Larson Industries, 5000 Normandale Rd., Minneapolis.  More information on the Rolite can be found at this Facebook group.

The ad was part of a 30-page supplement on camping, which also included the ads shown here:

1969AprPM21969AprPM3

The first is for a 5 horsepower motorbike kit (with optional ski), with a name familiar to regular readers, namely Heathkit!  You can read more about the GT-18 at this link.

The second ad is for a class of product that has largely ceased to exist, namely, inexpensive, lightweight, no-frills tent trailers.  They still exist, but most are marketed as motorcycle tent trailers.  However, there’s no reason why one can’t be pulled behind a car.  While I don’t think they are available in the U.S. any more, shown below is the 1980’s era Danish made Combi-Camp trailer we owned for a few years.  Its empty weight was only a couple hundred pounds and could easily be towed by any car.  Most importantly, it allowed you to camp but sleep off the ground, which is a huge luxury, but provided even by the simple trailer shown above.

For more information about the Appleby trailer shown in the ad, see this link or this Facebook page.

CombiCamp



1942 September Snowstorm

1942Sept26ChiTribThe young man shown here, David Hamilton, then two years old, of 18309 Riegel Road, Homewood, Illinois, got his picture in the Chicago Tribune on August 26, 1942, courtesy of an early snowstorm that covered much of the Midwest, starting 75 years ago today on August 24.

While there was enough snow to keep young Mr. Hamilton amused in the Land of Lincoln, the heaviest snow of the storm was in Minnesota. Numerous overhead wire systems were damaged by the wet snow, with the damage estimated at $25,000 in the state. The heaviest snows were reported in Bird Island, with 8 inches, and Sauk Centre with 9. New records for September snowfall were set throughout the southern half of the state, with a few such records also being set in northern Minnesota.

Since the snow was accompanied by cold temperatures, there was crop damage throughout the state. Many Friday night football games were cancelled, and phone service was out between Minneapolis and Rochester.

Snow was reported from in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Indiana during the three day storm.

References



Grain Belt “Talking Scoreboard” circa 1965

GrainBeltRadio

A few weeks ago, someone posted an interesting photo on the Old Minneapolis page on Facebook.   That page is one of the best on Facebook, as every day it includes more fascinating photos.  The most interesting photos are invariably of subjects that were mundane when the photo was taken.  But with the passage of years, these mundane scenes are the most fascinating. Sometimes, the story behind the photo is included. Other times, the viewer is left to wonder what was going on in the picture and why it was taken.

The photo was of the interior of a North Minneapolis bar, and was apparently taken in 1965. One eagle-eyed netizen noticed behind the bartender a most interesting radio, the Grain Belt Talking Scoreboard, like the one shown at the top of this page. The set measures about 18 inches wide, and consists of a scoreboard brightly backlit with two old style Christmas tree bulbs, on which the bartender could write in the score for each inning with a grease pencil. Inside the case is a radio for pulling in the game for the benefit of the patrons.

The radio itself is a typical “All American Five” (AA5) superhet, using a miniature tube complement consisting of a 50C5, 12AV6, 12BA6, 12BE6, and 35W4. The front panel controls consist of the volume control and tuning capacitor.

IMG_0023aA sticker on the back identifies the device as a Talking Scoreboard, and admonishes that “this electronic advertising sign is the property of the Minneapolis Brewing Co. and is loaned with the understanding that it will be prominently displayed.” There’s no indication of who manufactured the set, although from the tube lineup and other parts, it appears to have been manufactured in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s. At first I didn’t see them, but the set does have the triangular CONELRAD markings at 640 and 1240 on the tuning dial, as are visible on the closeup here, This places the date of the set’s manufacture at pre-1963 when CONELRAD ended.  A likely date for the set would be 1961, when the Twins came to town.  However, the set is generic in that it’s not marked with the name of any team.  Since Grain Belt was sold in other Midwestern states, it’s likely that it found use in taverns with loyalties to other teams.  And apparently another version of the set was available with a football scorecard.  You can find more discussion of the set at the antiqueradios.com forum.

The set shown at the top of this page is owned by Chris Manuel of Brookfield, Wisconsin, who graciously gave me permission to use the photo. He reports that the loopstick antenna makes the set more directional than is common for AA5’s, most of which used a larger loop mounted at the back of the set. But presumably, the radio only had to tune one station, namely the one broadcasting the game. So once it was set in a suitable spot, the directional antenna wouldn’t be much of a hindrance.  Perhaps the directional antenna even proved useful on occasion for nulling out a noisy neon sign.

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