Long ago on independence square (Kansas City, Washington: roofing, trees, properties)

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by SilverDoc

It was on the S.W. corner of Truman and River. Behind it to the south at Maple, is Polly's Pop Park.

So it replaced Polly's location?

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by SilverDoc

It was on the S.W. corner of Truman and River. Behind it to the south at Maple, is Polly's Pop Park.

Those are some photos. I see also that one did not walk up to a window but went inside to a counter. Pollys Pop did not go out until 1967 or so, so when Golden Point went in, Pollys would have to have still been at its location.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Golden Point predated McDonald’s by several years, at least in Independence.

The restaurant opened somewhere at the vicinity of Maple and River Boulevard sometime around 1958 or 1959, and the prices were just right. Hamburgers were ten cents and French fries were twelve cents. I never learned why fries cost more than a hamburger.

As a kid I frequented the Golden Point. My favorite summer evening activity was to walk down to GP just before they closed (9:00 PM I think). Several of the girls working there thought I was cute, so I would buy one order of fries, and they would fill my bag with all of the remaining fries (and maybe onion rings) they had left. If there weren't any they would make a fresh batch for me. Too bad I was too young to date them, as I was ten-ish at the time.

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

So it replaced Polly's location?

Nope, Polly's sat south of GP, right on the corner of Maple and River. GP faced Truman Road.

Time for a snack, y'all have made me hungry!!

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

106 Helzberg's which called itself "Middle West's Largest Jeweler"), 1.

Before I could drive, I thought Helzberg's was an Independence store. Then when I could drive I "discovered" a much larger one in Kansas City.

There is a Helzberg's out here in Colorado in at least one mall. The company has 234 stores in most of the 50 states and is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, according to one web site and in North Kansas City, Missouri, according to another.

The chain was founded by a Russian immigrant.

[SilverDoc]

[quote=Mad Anthonie;26097310]As a kid I frequented the Golden Point. My favorite summer evening activity was to walk down to GP just before they closed (9:00 PM I think). Several of the girls working there thought I was cute, so I would buy one order of fries, and they would fill my bag with all of the remaining fries (and maybe onion rings) they had left. If there weren't any they would make a fresh batch for me. Too bad I was too young to date them, as I was ten-ish at the time.




That's how old Joe Elrod got his dinner when he had his tv repair shop across the street.

[pearjas]

More from the book!

[MRG Dallas]

Wow, those are great Pearjas! We can now see where both SS Kresge's were, along with Crown Drug before moving to Alton Plaza post-1951. First photo I've seen also of Milgram's even though there's been plenty of discussion/data that it was at that corner. Although she had closed or sold her beauty salon by then, my Mom's shop was in the building above Milgram's. Great to see these photos, I ordered the book along with a couple of others yesterday and can't wait to see other pictures.

[WCHS'59]

Another “hot spot” in the fifties was an A&W Root Beer drive in on the north side of US Highway 24 a couple doors west from Noland Road.


If I recall correctly, there was a second floor above the sales area, maybe the living quarters of the folks who ran the place. It looks like the entire block in that area is now a used car lot.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

Another “hot spot” in the fifties was an A&W Root Beer drive in on the north side of US Highway 24 a couple doors west from Noland Road.

If I recall correctly, there was a second floor above the sales area, maybe the living quarters of the folks who ran the place. It looks like the entire block in that area is now a used car lot.

On the southwest corner of Noland and US highway 24 across from the A&W was a used car lot (one is still there). I think back in the really old days the sales shack was a service station. In 1958, just before my junior year at WCHS, I purchased my first car, a 53 Ford, from this lot. The price was $795 or $895. Payments were $37.50 per month for eighteen months. Insurance was $98 per each six months—liability only. I was making $1 per hour at the time working part time at the C&J United Super on east 23rd Street.

The car turned out to be a lemon. It seemed that something was always going wrong with it. The heater never worked and replacing the thermostat did not cure the problem. The hood never opened properly and had to be handled in a certain way. The radio quit working. The speedometer quit working ($10 to fix that). The radiator began to leak, someone broke off the radio aerial, water pump went out, had two “popped” clutches, battery went dead, and that is just scratching the surface.

I tracked the gas mileage and it was getting a phenomenal eight miles per gallon.

I had more trouble with that first car than any car I have ever owned. After making my last payment I went looking for another car and was able to get rid of it through a Kansas City Ford dealer trade in. Amazingly, it was not long before that same Ford appeared back at that same used car lot.

I noticed it from the street and had to go and take a look at my first car and told the salesman I was just looking. The salesman could not get the hood up, so I showed him how to do it and then thanked him for letting me look.

I sure do pity the person who eventually purchased it.

[Mad Anthonie]

Today's Examiner has a story about an old spring on North River. Do any of you recall it or its location?

What ever happened to the spring on North River? - Independence, MO - The Examiner