Snippets of time frozen in windshield decals
While classic cars and trucks tell the tales of yesteryear, another great way to learn about the past is checking out the various stickers on them.
Chicago and many suburbs have used city stickers for decades and they certainly reveal lots about times gone by, as I wrote in a column earlier this year. But keep your eyes peeled - there's lots of other stickers, too. In my continuing look, here's another crop I've seen on area rides.
1955 Norridge
The quaint suburb of Norridge was gaining speed in 1955. It had just doubled its size by annexing the area between Montrose Ave. and Lawrence Ave. In addition, the city board held their first meeting in their newly built Village Hall. This year, the Park District was established too. It wasn't all positive: the historic Chevalier family home burned. It was located along the east side of the Des Plaines river. Despite this, the area continued to grow and fun fact: the Village of 'Norridge' is the only community in the world named Norridge.
1973 Rock Island Centennial
If you need to get from Rock Island, IL to Davenport, IO, chances are you'll take the Rock Island Centennial Bridge. This 1973 sticker celebrates the iconic landmark which opened in 1940. Tolls at that time were ten cents and it was the first four-lane span to cross the Mississippi River. The five bridge arches are a symbol representing the Quad Cities. Rock Island and Davenport are symbolized by the largest arches while the other three point reference to Bettendorf, Moline and East Moline.
1960 Joliet
Not every city sticker was vibrant and colorful and documented or celebrated timely achievements or events. Some like this 1960 Joliet sticker were plain and to the point.
1969 Great Lakes Dragaway
Just north of the Illinois-Wisconsin border lies Great Lake Dragaway. This quarter mile strip of asphalt has been around since 1955 and saw lots of action during the 1960s. Many of the vehicle owners I feature tell of fond trips there during that time to put the pedal down on their classic rides. This 1969 sticker comes right from that era and was given to a trophy winner.
1973 Chicago
Rail passage has always been a hallmark of our city going back to the very first railroad which was chartered in 1836. Since then, Chicago has become the most important railroad center in North America. Trains are something we're well-known for and 1973 was no different. This city sticker celebrated that distinction with the announcement that the city was 'the hub of American Railroad for 125 years'.
Gasoline ration
In 1942 our nation was in full swing to support the war effort in Europe. Gas rationing was one of the steps taken. More and more fuel was reallocated for military usage and for civilians were given stickers like this one to help classify their fueling needs. Gas rationing ended in August 1945.
DuCoil spark plugs
Hot rodders of yesteryear were always tuning and tweaking their speed machines and always bolting on go-fast goodies. Smoking your opponent was one way to show off what work you've done; another was to proudly show a sticker proclaiming your recent mods. This classic ride has a DuCoil distributor, which featured two coil towers and proclaimed twice the spark energy.
Share your car's story with Matt at auto@dailyherald.com.