Thursday, April 6, 2017

The History of Fluky's Hot Dog Stands & Restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. (1929-2006)

Fluky's Red Hots. The original hot dog stand on Maxwell Street in Chicago. 1929
Fluky's founder, Abe "Fluky" Drexler, opened in Chicago in 1929 on Maxwell and Halsted Streets. They carried all the character and romance for which Chicago Street Merchants were famous, and Fluky's reputation as having the city's best "Hot Dog" started to grow.
Fluky's Grand Opening on Maxwell and Halsted Streets in Chicago. April 16, 1932
On April 16, 1932, a second Fluky's was opened, and then in 1935, a third store was opened, and a fourth in 1936.
Fluky's Hot Dog Shoppe (1936)
156 West Divison Street, Chicago
1906 North Ogden Avenue, Chicago
3551 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago
6716 North Sheridan Road, Chicago 



Addressing why the Fluky's on Lawrence Avenue is never mentioned.

This is the listing for Flukey's Bar-Be-Cue at 3414 West Lawrence Avenue from the 1955 Chicago White Pages. It is not Fluky's Hot Dogs, even if they sold hot dogs. See the spelling of the name Flukey's.






Chicago Tribune, Wednesday, April 13, 1955. Here, the business name is spelled as "Flukey's Bar-B-Q. It's not the same as Fluky's Hot Dog Stand.



Fluky's became known for its "Depression Sandwich" - a hot dog with mustard, relish, onion, pickles, pepper, lettuce, tomatoes, and French fries FOR ONLY 5¢! The "Garden on a Bun" was the depression sandwich without the hot dog, costing only 2¢.
Fluky's reputation was built on good food, good service, and goodwill through the hard times of the Depression. Many youngsters and adults who didn't have the nickel were fed anyway.

With the coming of World War II came meat rationing. This made it difficult to get the quality product Fluky's needed, and within a short time, Fluky's closed its doors at three of its locations, and the fourth was the only store to continue until 1955. 

On February 18, 1964, Fluky's again opened its doors after 9 years of silence. The opening was greeted with a tremendous outpouring of warmth and fondness from thousands who had many fond memories.
In just a few months, Fluky's was the largest Hot Dog stand in Chicago. Except Fluky's was no longer a Hot Dog Stand. It was now housed in a large glass-enclosed structure, previously unknown in the Hot Dog industry of push-carts and street stands.
Fluky's, 6732 North Western Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
Fluky's had made a giant step toward upgrading the Hot Dog business. The new building was on the west side of Western Avenue at 6732 North Western Avenue in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of the West Ridge community in Chicago (not in Rogers Park). There was a long, thin counter at the large windows to stand and eat, facing Western Avenue.

Fluky's opened at 9645 North Milwaukee Avenue, at Golf Road, in Niles in the 1980s.
In 1998, Fluky's moved to the east side of Western Avenue at 6821 N. Western Avenue in the West Ridge community of Chicago, where the new location offered a drive-thru. Fluky's closed on February 13, 2006. 
Abe Drexler's son, Jack, opened a Fluky's in the Wal-Mart at 5630 W Touhy Avenue, Niles, Illinois. Many say that it is not the same. Perhaps they are just being nostalgic. Your comments are welcome.
Let's not forget the individually wrapped Hot Dog Gum given with counter orders.


Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Whoopee Auto Coasters of Illinois (1929-1930)

A unique ride of the times, the Whoopie Auto Coaster, opened in July, 1929, in the southwest suburb of Lyons.
It was a wooden track built in an undulating, 'hill-and-dale' style; patrons paid an admission fee to drive their own cars over this track, approximating the thrills of a roller coaster. Located at 47th Street and Lawndale Avenue, the Lyons Whoopie track was built and owned by the Coaster Construction Company, which had similar tracks in Kansas City, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Seattle.
In partnership with a local businessman named John Skale, the company announced it would build a full scale park on 23 acres surrounding the track; plans called for the erection of practically every kind of device... the kind found in old school amusement parks and traveling carnivals.
It seemed a good idea at first. Car ownership had boomed throughout the Twenties. Yet, after a couple weeks operation, the novelty of the Whoopie Coaster wore off; then, it was necessary to stimulate patronage by giving two or more rides around the track for a single admission. And after the stock market crash that October, drivers would become much more cautious about wear and tear on their cars. It was soon evident that the Whoopie track was a one-season wonder. By 1930, the Lyons track had closed, its proposed full-scale park never built."
At River Road and Irving Park Boulevard in Schiller Park, Illinois, the Suburban Amusement Company used 200,000 feet of number one pine lumber to construct what it called an "auto coaster." For just ten cents you could enjoy the thrills of "mountain driving" in your own vehicle. The Whoopee Auto Coaster at Waukegan Road near Willow Road in Northfield delivered the same excitement over a "mile-long plank road."
VIDEO

The Whoopee Coaster
By Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

Monday, April 3, 2017

Lost Towns of Illinois - Elm Point, Illinois

Elm Point was a former settlement village in Bond County, Illinois, United States.
Elm Point was south of Donnellson and appeared on maps as late as 1876. The townsite was on Illinois State Route 127, the dividing line between Lagrange Township (east) and Shoal Creek Township (west). 

On the 17th of May, 1856, the town of Elm Point was laid out by Anthony Hill, for William P. Libby. It is located about nine miles in a northwesterly direction from the town of Greenville, Illinois. It was on the prairie and was surrounded by a well-cultivated country, but has never made much improvement. Elm Point had a post office.
Elm Point no longer exists but there is a road named Elm Point Avenue where the village once was. 

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D. 

Saturday, April 1, 2017

White City Amusement Park, 63rd Street and South Parkway (Martin Luther King Dr.), Chicago, Illinois. (1905-1933)

The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 left Chicagoans with an appetite for various new amusements and entertainment. They might not have the original White City anymore, but they could have something similar to White City Amusement Park on a much smaller scale.
White City's land before construction began.
Advertising sign for White City Construction Company.
The "Scene Palace" is under construction, and a roller coaster is in the background. 1904
White City opened on May 27, 1905, on fourteen acres of a former cornfield at 63rd Street and South Parkway (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) in the Greater Grand Crossing and Woodlawn community areas. It captured some of the zeitgeist of the original White City, with its Beaux-Arts buildings and even a miniature grand basin, of sorts, that served as the landing pool for the park's "Shoot the Chutes" ride.
White City even had an answer to the Eiffel Tower, a giant "Electric Tower" that could be seen from 15 miles away. It was a beacon to the masses, a shining sign that the happiness brought by that 1893 fair could still be found. There was a giant Ferris wheel, too. 
Joseph Beifeld, the owner of the Sherman Hotel, organized the financing for White City and served as President of the company in the park's earliest days. He insisted on charging only 10 cents for admission so that more people could enjoy what White City offered:

“I'm glad of one thing, boys... we will give the people of Chicago an opportunity to enjoy themselves as they have never dreamed of. When I think of the hot, stuffy theatres in Chicago on summer evenings, when I think of the absolute barrenness of the lives of so many thousands of men, women, and children there who have no place to go for clean, unobjectionable entertainment and pleasure, I'm glad that we are going to build White City, from humanitarian principles if for no other reason.”

White City introduced the world to the Goodyear Blimp, first assembled at the park.

Among the many attractions, White City offered a Ballroom (featuring the "All-Star White City Orchestra"), a Casino, a Chinese Theatre, a White City Roller rink, a Bowling Alley, a penny arcade, a "Pep" Roller Coaster, Giant Racing Coaster; the Flash; Shoot the Chutes; the Canals of Venice (a pretty water ride); Water Scooters; Dodgem; Lindy Loop; Seaplane; Giant Ferris wheel; The Whip; a Miniature Railroad; and the House of a Thousand and One Trouble (funhouse); Illusion Show; Freak Show; Midget City; Mechanical City; Hug House (funhouse); Fire & Flame exhibition; Baseball Park and Athletic Field; Picnic grounds; and A beer garden. White City included a spacious outdoor theatre.

There was a special section of the park devoted to kiddie rides.
The "Lindy Loop" (not Looper), a Spillman ride of the mid-1920s and early 30s was similar to the later Herschell "Looper", but a little bit different. The cars resembled old-fashioned sleighs. Instead of runners, they were mounted on crescent-shaped rails, with the curve down and the ends up. A rounded canopy at the top, attached to the ends, gives the whole thing the look of two circles or wheels with the sleigh between them. Eight units were mounted on an undulated circular track, like on a Caterpillar ride. The sleighs were mounted so that they could roll forward and backward on the crescent-shaped rails. As the track moved up and down the hills, the sleighs began rolling back and forth. At maximum speed, depending on passenger weight, they would roll quite a lot, climbing the rails. Passengers had no control over the movement, "The action resembled a demented lawn swing on a skateboard." by the late Stan Barker.
Similar action to the "Lindy Loop" ride.

The Mysterious Sensation (a funhouse), in particular, is one of the greatest novelties in the history of White City. It was likened to Riverview's Aladdin's Castle and a Haunted House mixed together. It was billed as one of the most unique entertainment features ever exhibited anywhere.

There was free parking for 1000 motorcars. White City had various concession stands around the park. One could pick out almost anything they want in the line of novelties, useful articles, and even edibles. The concessions sold silk umbrellas, floor lamps, aluminum-ware, silverware, dolls, candy, bags, overnight cases, clocks, vases, glassware, and other items too numerous to classify. 

While the park did offer a happy diversion for many, it was for whites only – even as the neighborhood surrounding the park became increasingly populated by African Americans as a result of the Great Migration.

However, the great depression and the ongoing problems from the fires of 1925 and 1927 negatively impacted White City. Although 1930 still wasn't too bad for White City, with each successive year, attendance declined, and by 1933, the company that operated it was unable to pay the taxes that were due, causing the park to be placed in receivership and forced to close in 1933.
Bird's Eye View of White City. 1905
THE WHITE CITY ROLLER RINK

The same anti-black policies that had beset the amusement park also applied to the roller rink at the park. The rink was still open, and in the 1940s, it became the site of demonstrations and brawls as Blacks fought for their right to roller skate indoors. 

In 1942, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was involved in one of these rallies.
In 1946, the Congress of Racial Equality sued the management of the rink, saying it was violating the Illinois Civil Rights Law. Eventually, the White City roller rink (which was named White because of the million electric light bulbs) closed in 1949. The roller Rink changed its name to Park City and was desegregated. However, the Park City rink closed in 1958.

In the 1950s, the 694-unit Parkway Gardens housing project was built on the site.



White City Amusement Park Attractions
1905 detailed descriptions with photographs and illustrations in PDF.


1905 WHITE CITY ADVERTISEMENTS
White City Opening Day Advertisements

PHOTO ALBUM

A scene in the Fire Show. 1905
White City Free Circus. 1905

Hot Dogs, Chicago Style — No Ketchup.





Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.