By Joann M. Ringelstetter
In 2010, less than two months after having spent 13 days on an exhausting late-April photography trip to North Carolina, Ruth and I decided to spend five long days photographing in Wisconsin and Minnesota. We were both working stressful Information Technology jobs at the time and all I can say now is, “What were we thinking?!” We worked hard, but we came home with photos of so many incredible places, including the Delta Diner, which is in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.
We usually try to start photographing at first light but, having worked the day before, we didn’t leave home until late Friday morning. We took the highways about two hours northwest and then turned north, shunpiking and photographing our way along the backroads to Superior, Wisconsin. We ended that day photographing Wisconsin Point Light on Lake Superior. It was extremely windy and the lake water was brown due to previous storms.
We spent the next two days exploring on the backroads of several Minnesota counties in the northeast section of Minnesota, going as far north as Grand Marais, which is close to the Canadian border. We began heading south on Highway 61, late on the third day of our trip. Highway 61 runs along the Lake Superior shoreline. We ended that day having a picnic supper at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. The next morning, we were at Gooseberry Falls at dawn, in a fairly heavy rainfall. And I must express my gratitude to Ruth, who hiked with me to the falls and held the umbrella over my camera equipment while I photographed.
By the time we left Gooseberry Falls, the rain had let up and we explored a few sights along the rest of Highway 61. Then we returned to Wisconsin, crossing Douglas County and entering Bayfield County, traveling Hwy 13, which runs along beautiful Lake Superior. After taking a few photographs in the small town of Port Wing, we headed south through Iron River and on to the Northwoods town of Delta. There, “in the middle of nowhere,” on the site of the former historic Delta Store, sits the Delta Diner, a restored 1940 Silk City Diner.
The Delta Store, built in 1923 in the middle of the Chequamegon National Forest, was the center of activity for the town of Delta until it was destroyed by fire in 1972. During that time, you could do most of your business in one location – buy goods or mail a letter at the post office housed in the store, quench your thirst or satisfy your hunger at the bar or restaurant, or fill your car with gas from Standard Oil.
In the early 1990s, Todd and Nina Bucher left their corporate jobs in Chicago and moved to Iron River, Wisconsin, in the hopes of creating a better life for themselves. Todd had grown up, attended college, and worked in Wisconsin. After their move, Todd spent time fishing in the Delta area and often drove past the spot where the Delta Store used to stand. He was drawn to the old Standard Oil sign and small dilapidated stone building, both of which survived long after the store was gone.
In 2002, the Buchers purchased the property where the store once stood. Todd had been in love with old diners since a boyhood visit to an authentic railroad-car-style diner in Pennsylvania had sparked his interest. It had a stainless-steel exterior and an interior filled with colorful tiles and a long counter with stools.
Since that visit, he had sought out these classic diners whenever he traveled. After some quick but extensive research into their options, Todd and Nina decided to contract for the restoration of a 1940 Silk City Diner, which was delivered (with the last 10% of the restoration to be finished on-site) in October 2003. The Delta Diner officially opened less than three weeks later.
The Delta Diner was closed the day we visited. Little did we know, Nina was inside working in the kitchen. As I stood in the parking lot snapping a few photos, Nina came out of the diner and invited us in. She said that the diner was her husband’s business and that she had a small business herself, producing jars of “Jalepena Nina’s Spicy Pickled Garlic.” She graciously allowed me to take some photos of the inside of the diner.
In researching for this blog post, I now feel Nina was way too modest in saying that the diner was her husband’s business. One of the articles said that Todd provided construction and marketing skills and Nina took care of the books, the Diner Store (which was set up in the restored stone building), and some of the recipes for the diner meals. And in reviewing their website, I can see that they have worked hard over the years to expand their business.
Their Taste Budz Diner Store is now serving handcrafted Wisconsin ice cream from Purple Door Ice Cream and house-made waffle cones. They also sell coffee, drinks, and diner gear. And this summer, they opened a new seasonal Jamaican-style restaurant and bar next to the diner with a goal of serving the overflow of summer customers. It’s called the Chicken Shack and Tin Tap House. The restaurant serves jerk chicken and the tap house serves craft beer from Superior’s Earth Rider Brewery.
If you’re ever in the Northwoods near Delta, make sure to visit the wonderful and authentic Delta Diner “in the middle of nowhere.”
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Shunpiking To Heaven Backroads Blog
Showing posts with label diners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diners. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Sunday, February 24, 2013
What Can Brown Do For You?
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Prior to September, 2010, the slogan for UPS (United Parcel Service) was “What Can Brown Do for You?” The “brown” in this slogan referred to the brown color UPS uses for its vehicles and uniforms. In May, 2012, on a photography trip to Ohio, Ruth and I discovered “what brown could do for us,” and it had nothing to do with shipping or receiving packages.
On May 1, we started the day on the backroads of Muskingum County, which is in the southeastern part of Ohio. As we headed further south towards Morgan County, we approached a rural intersection that had a steel truss bridge over Meigs Creek. Looking down the crossroad, we discovered a similar steel truss bridge crossing the same creek.
After photographing both of the bridges, we continued on our way down a narrow tree-lined backroad. As I drove along, Ruth said, “Hey, I think there was an old well at that last place.” So I stopped, but I had to wait for a UPS truck to pass us before I could turn the car around.
After photographing the well, we drove to the end of that road and, as we were discussing which way to turn, the UPS truck pulled up beside us and the driver asked us if we were lost. We assured him that we weren’t, but we had a nice discussion about what we were doing “out in the sticks.” He told us to have a great time and then he headed down the road.
A short time later, we stopped to photograph an old building that looked like it might have been a school at one time. After taking a few photos and heading back to the car, I saw a pickup truck pull out of the driveway of a farm down the road. As the truck neared us, I flagged the driver down and asked him what he knew about the building. He said it was always a house and that his wife’s parents had lived in it at one point. As we finished talking, that same UPS driver passed us, heading in the same direction as we were going.
We then headed into the city of McConnelsville. Ruth had discovered that there was an old diner called the Blue Bell 50’s Diner in the center of town, so we stopped to photograph the diner, which has been there for 80 years. It was lunchtime, so we only took photographs of the outside of the building and the sign.
A short distance from the diner was a small riverside park along the Muskingum River, where we hoped to find a good view of the shiny Veterans Memorial Bridge, which was built in 1913. I parked the car and walked along the river’s edge, passing two people who were sitting at a picnic table enjoying the nice spring day.
Our main reason for coming to the McConnelsville area was to find an old dungeon that Ruth had discovered in her research. However, as is often the case, she didn’t have exact directions to it. So I took the opportunity to ask the people at the picnic table if they knew where the dungeon was located. Unfortunately, they didn’t. So Ruth and I proceeded across the bridge to the small town of Malta to hunt for the dungeon.
In the interest of saving time, I stopped in downtown Malta and asked a woman if she could tell me where the dungeon was located. As she began to tell me that she didn’t know where it was, the UPS driver pulled up in his truck and asked me again (with a smile) if we were lost. When I asked him if he knew where the dungeon was, he said, “Sure, it’s a short distance from here,” and he gave us directions.
The Ohio historical marker next to the dungeon says, “Prisoners convicted of rioting, larceny and adultery in Morgan County between 1833 and 1839 were confined to a dungeon near the Court House in McConnelsville. This stone vault, 11 feet high, 5 feet wide and 12 feet long, was discovered in 1964 and is believed to have been used as the county dungeon.”
According to the Morgan County Historical Society, the dungeon “was discovered in 1964 during excavation for the present sheriff’s office and jail. Located beneath the basement in the old jail, the dungeon contained several artifacts and is a stark reminder of how criminals were dealt with in the 19th century.
As I was exploring and photographing the dungeon, our favorite UPS driver pulled up and said, “Great! You found it. Anything else I can help you find?” We told him we were leaving the area and thanked him for his help and the smiles he brought to our faces. And that’s what Brown can do for you!
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Prior to September, 2010, the slogan for UPS (United Parcel Service) was “What Can Brown Do for You?” The “brown” in this slogan referred to the brown color UPS uses for its vehicles and uniforms. In May, 2012, on a photography trip to Ohio, Ruth and I discovered “what brown could do for us,” and it had nothing to do with shipping or receiving packages.
On May 1, we started the day on the backroads of Muskingum County, which is in the southeastern part of Ohio. As we headed further south towards Morgan County, we approached a rural intersection that had a steel truss bridge over Meigs Creek. Looking down the crossroad, we discovered a similar steel truss bridge crossing the same creek.
After photographing both of the bridges, we continued on our way down a narrow tree-lined backroad. As I drove along, Ruth said, “Hey, I think there was an old well at that last place.” So I stopped, but I had to wait for a UPS truck to pass us before I could turn the car around.
After photographing the well, we drove to the end of that road and, as we were discussing which way to turn, the UPS truck pulled up beside us and the driver asked us if we were lost. We assured him that we weren’t, but we had a nice discussion about what we were doing “out in the sticks.” He told us to have a great time and then he headed down the road.
A short time later, we stopped to photograph an old building that looked like it might have been a school at one time. After taking a few photos and heading back to the car, I saw a pickup truck pull out of the driveway of a farm down the road. As the truck neared us, I flagged the driver down and asked him what he knew about the building. He said it was always a house and that his wife’s parents had lived in it at one point. As we finished talking, that same UPS driver passed us, heading in the same direction as we were going.
We then headed into the city of McConnelsville. Ruth had discovered that there was an old diner called the Blue Bell 50’s Diner in the center of town, so we stopped to photograph the diner, which has been there for 80 years. It was lunchtime, so we only took photographs of the outside of the building and the sign.
A short distance from the diner was a small riverside park along the Muskingum River, where we hoped to find a good view of the shiny Veterans Memorial Bridge, which was built in 1913. I parked the car and walked along the river’s edge, passing two people who were sitting at a picnic table enjoying the nice spring day.
Our main reason for coming to the McConnelsville area was to find an old dungeon that Ruth had discovered in her research. However, as is often the case, she didn’t have exact directions to it. So I took the opportunity to ask the people at the picnic table if they knew where the dungeon was located. Unfortunately, they didn’t. So Ruth and I proceeded across the bridge to the small town of Malta to hunt for the dungeon.
In the interest of saving time, I stopped in downtown Malta and asked a woman if she could tell me where the dungeon was located. As she began to tell me that she didn’t know where it was, the UPS driver pulled up in his truck and asked me again (with a smile) if we were lost. When I asked him if he knew where the dungeon was, he said, “Sure, it’s a short distance from here,” and he gave us directions.
The Ohio historical marker next to the dungeon says, “Prisoners convicted of rioting, larceny and adultery in Morgan County between 1833 and 1839 were confined to a dungeon near the Court House in McConnelsville. This stone vault, 11 feet high, 5 feet wide and 12 feet long, was discovered in 1964 and is believed to have been used as the county dungeon.”
According to the Morgan County Historical Society, the dungeon “was discovered in 1964 during excavation for the present sheriff’s office and jail. Located beneath the basement in the old jail, the dungeon contained several artifacts and is a stark reminder of how criminals were dealt with in the 19th century.
As I was exploring and photographing the dungeon, our favorite UPS driver pulled up and said, “Great! You found it. Anything else I can help you find?” We told him we were leaving the area and thanked him for his help and the smiles he brought to our faces. And that’s what Brown can do for you!
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Spud Boy Diner, Lanesboro, MN
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
In October of 2009, Joann and I took a short trip to Minnesota. We stayed the night in Lanesboro Minnesota in a small quaint motel. As is our usual routine, we got up early, packed up the car, and headed downtown. It’s the best time of the day to capture photos in town without traffic or parked cars.
Driving down the main street of town, we noticed a diner car parked in a narrow lot. The outside was looking good, but a small handwritten note told of the ongoing restoration by Val and Gordon Tindall.
In the fall of 2011, we found ourselves back in Lanesboro. As we stopped to check on the diner, Joann encountered a man waiting patiently on a bench for his wife. He tried to guess the meaning of her license plates, associating the PKR in SHNPKR with the Packers since we were from Wisconsin.
Joann told him that the plates referred to our “shunpiking” hobby and then she explained the meaning of the word. He liked the word, and asked Joann what she was going to photograph. She pointed to the diner, and his response was “Oh, look at that.” Apparently, he had not noticed the diner before then.
He said that he used to come to Lanesboro to hunt pheasant and deer and that it was totally run down in those days. In the 1970’s the town’s main street was mostly in disrepair and many buildings were boarded up. The Milwaukee Railroad closed its route through Lanesboro and sold the 1870 depot to an individual who tore it down.
This action spurred the citizens to form a volunteer task force to revitalize the town. In 1985, the entire downtown district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1986, the Root River Bike Trail opened and brought new business to town.
When Gordon first saw the diner, it was a sagging mess with no windows or doors and no interior. Even so, he saw its possibilities and took on its restoration.
When Val and Gordon visited Lanesboro on a family vacation, they thought the town would be perfect for a diner. Gordon had been operating a diner in Towanda, PA and was beginning restoration of the Spud Boy Lunch in his spare time. His wife was living in Decorah, IA and he wanted to move back to the Midwest. The diner was moved to Lanesboro in November of 2008 and restoration continued.
The diner was built by the Goodell Dining Car Company in Silver Creek, New York in 1927, and operated under various names in Wellington Ohio from 1927 until 2002. It is the last known Goodell diner in existence, and is one of only two wooden diners still in operation. The name Spud Boy refers to Gordon’s nickname as a boy being raised on a New Jersey potato farm.
As I was preparing for this post, I did a search on Spud Boy Diner and found an article from the Post-Bulletin in Rochester, MN stating that the diner had opened for business in May of this year. The diner is open for breakfast and lunch.
A quote from the diner's website proclaims “To us, it will always be the little diner that died and went to heaven, I mean Lanesboro. Val & Gordon Tinsdall 2011”.
If you make it to Lanesboro, take a stroll down the historic main street and stop in at the restored Spud Boy Lunch.
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
In October of 2009, Joann and I took a short trip to Minnesota. We stayed the night in Lanesboro Minnesota in a small quaint motel. As is our usual routine, we got up early, packed up the car, and headed downtown. It’s the best time of the day to capture photos in town without traffic or parked cars.
Driving down the main street of town, we noticed a diner car parked in a narrow lot. The outside was looking good, but a small handwritten note told of the ongoing restoration by Val and Gordon Tindall.
In the fall of 2011, we found ourselves back in Lanesboro. As we stopped to check on the diner, Joann encountered a man waiting patiently on a bench for his wife. He tried to guess the meaning of her license plates, associating the PKR in SHNPKR with the Packers since we were from Wisconsin.
Joann told him that the plates referred to our “shunpiking” hobby and then she explained the meaning of the word. He liked the word, and asked Joann what she was going to photograph. She pointed to the diner, and his response was “Oh, look at that.” Apparently, he had not noticed the diner before then.
He said that he used to come to Lanesboro to hunt pheasant and deer and that it was totally run down in those days. In the 1970’s the town’s main street was mostly in disrepair and many buildings were boarded up. The Milwaukee Railroad closed its route through Lanesboro and sold the 1870 depot to an individual who tore it down.
This action spurred the citizens to form a volunteer task force to revitalize the town. In 1985, the entire downtown district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1986, the Root River Bike Trail opened and brought new business to town.
When Gordon first saw the diner, it was a sagging mess with no windows or doors and no interior. Even so, he saw its possibilities and took on its restoration.
When Val and Gordon visited Lanesboro on a family vacation, they thought the town would be perfect for a diner. Gordon had been operating a diner in Towanda, PA and was beginning restoration of the Spud Boy Lunch in his spare time. His wife was living in Decorah, IA and he wanted to move back to the Midwest. The diner was moved to Lanesboro in November of 2008 and restoration continued.
The diner was built by the Goodell Dining Car Company in Silver Creek, New York in 1927, and operated under various names in Wellington Ohio from 1927 until 2002. It is the last known Goodell diner in existence, and is one of only two wooden diners still in operation. The name Spud Boy refers to Gordon’s nickname as a boy being raised on a New Jersey potato farm.
As I was preparing for this post, I did a search on Spud Boy Diner and found an article from the Post-Bulletin in Rochester, MN stating that the diner had opened for business in May of this year. The diner is open for breakfast and lunch.
A quote from the diner's website proclaims “To us, it will always be the little diner that died and went to heaven, I mean Lanesboro. Val & Gordon Tinsdall 2011”.
If you make it to Lanesboro, take a stroll down the historic main street and stop in at the restored Spud Boy Lunch.
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Sunday, March 20, 2011
The Oasis Diner – Plainfield, Indiana
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
In April, 2006, as Ruth and I headed towards home after spending a week on the backroads of Kentucky, we stumbled upon an old diner on Route 40 in Plainfield, Indiana. I was still shooting film then, and I was always very conservative with the number of times I clicked the shutter. I had three Canon cameras, each loaded with a different type of film. So I took one colored slide, one colored print, and one black and white print of the outside of the diner. We were on a mission to cover a lot of ground that day, so we didn’t go inside.
Last spring, on the last day of our North Carolina trip, we passed this diner again on our way home. This trip had been a long one -- a full two weeks pushing hard to cover as many North Carolina backroads as we could, so we were both very tired. Again, we were on a mission -- this time to make it to our favorite general store in Moonshine, Illinois, for their famous grilled sandwiches before they shut the grill off at 12:30 sharp.
Even though we were kind of in a hurry, I was drawn to see the inside of this historic diner. Inside, there were a few people enjoying their meals. Some were sitting on the old-fashioned stools running the length of the diner and counter. Others were sitting in burgundy-colored booths opposite the stools. I snapped a few photos while the manager told me a little bit about the diner. As she did this, I noticed an older gentleman on one of the stools. He was watching me and smiling, so I introduced myself.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting on a stool next to Samuel F. Hatcher and he was talking up a storm, mostly about his life and his family. He was polite and quite humorous and I was totally enjoying his company. He told me that he came to the diner as often as he could because it was one of his favorite places. Then he told me that he was at the diner the day it opened and that he drove there in a 1954 Chevy convertible. This was significant because the diner was built in New Jersey in 1954 and was then transported to Plainfield on a rail car.
I could have talked with him all day because he was such a happy guy, but I knew I needed to get going. When I stood up to leave, I noticed another man in the booth across from us who had been listening to our conversation and who now joined in. His name was Kenneth Hoffman and he told me that he came to the diner almost every day. He also said that he was there the day the diner arrived from New Jersey and was set in place.
This streamline Moderne-style diner, with its coffee cup sign, has served National Road travelers for over five decades. It was originally known as the Oasis Diner. Outside, the front portion is the original 35-foot chrome trailer, accented by red, white, and blue stripes. Inside, it still has the original 1954 peach and gray tile interior, with a peach-colored counter running the length of the trailer. Behind the counter is the grill, where the owner, Ray Piercy, and his staff made their famous breakfasts and huge tenderloin sandwiches for over twenty years. In January, 2008, Mr. Piercy closed the diner and put it up for sale. It reopened for short periods since then, and we were fortunate enough to have visited during one of those times.
A couple of months after our visit, the Hendricks County Health Department closed the restaurant due to structural deterioration. It is now on the Ten Most Endangered List put out by the Indiana Landmarks Association. The good news is that Mr. Piercy has now decided to donate the structure to anyone who will take on the cost of moving it. The Town of Plainfield reported that a relocation study is underway, funded by donations from the Indiana Landmarks Association, the Indiana National Road Association, and the Hendricks County Convention and Visitors Bureau. They also said, “The Diner is believed to be the last remaining structure of its kind on the US 40 National Road.”
According to the Indiana Landmarks Association, there were roughly 5,000 roadside diners in the 1950s serving folks who traveled the blue highways. These historic structures have disappeared from the American landscape at an alarming rate. If you’re ever out motoring and you pass one of these nostalgic diners, take the time to stop in and enjoy a piece of our history.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
In April, 2006, as Ruth and I headed towards home after spending a week on the backroads of Kentucky, we stumbled upon an old diner on Route 40 in Plainfield, Indiana. I was still shooting film then, and I was always very conservative with the number of times I clicked the shutter. I had three Canon cameras, each loaded with a different type of film. So I took one colored slide, one colored print, and one black and white print of the outside of the diner. We were on a mission to cover a lot of ground that day, so we didn’t go inside.
Last spring, on the last day of our North Carolina trip, we passed this diner again on our way home. This trip had been a long one -- a full two weeks pushing hard to cover as many North Carolina backroads as we could, so we were both very tired. Again, we were on a mission -- this time to make it to our favorite general store in Moonshine, Illinois, for their famous grilled sandwiches before they shut the grill off at 12:30 sharp.
Even though we were kind of in a hurry, I was drawn to see the inside of this historic diner. Inside, there were a few people enjoying their meals. Some were sitting on the old-fashioned stools running the length of the diner and counter. Others were sitting in burgundy-colored booths opposite the stools. I snapped a few photos while the manager told me a little bit about the diner. As she did this, I noticed an older gentleman on one of the stools. He was watching me and smiling, so I introduced myself.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting on a stool next to Samuel F. Hatcher and he was talking up a storm, mostly about his life and his family. He was polite and quite humorous and I was totally enjoying his company. He told me that he came to the diner as often as he could because it was one of his favorite places. Then he told me that he was at the diner the day it opened and that he drove there in a 1954 Chevy convertible. This was significant because the diner was built in New Jersey in 1954 and was then transported to Plainfield on a rail car.
I could have talked with him all day because he was such a happy guy, but I knew I needed to get going. When I stood up to leave, I noticed another man in the booth across from us who had been listening to our conversation and who now joined in. His name was Kenneth Hoffman and he told me that he came to the diner almost every day. He also said that he was there the day the diner arrived from New Jersey and was set in place.
This streamline Moderne-style diner, with its coffee cup sign, has served National Road travelers for over five decades. It was originally known as the Oasis Diner. Outside, the front portion is the original 35-foot chrome trailer, accented by red, white, and blue stripes. Inside, it still has the original 1954 peach and gray tile interior, with a peach-colored counter running the length of the trailer. Behind the counter is the grill, where the owner, Ray Piercy, and his staff made their famous breakfasts and huge tenderloin sandwiches for over twenty years. In January, 2008, Mr. Piercy closed the diner and put it up for sale. It reopened for short periods since then, and we were fortunate enough to have visited during one of those times.
A couple of months after our visit, the Hendricks County Health Department closed the restaurant due to structural deterioration. It is now on the Ten Most Endangered List put out by the Indiana Landmarks Association. The good news is that Mr. Piercy has now decided to donate the structure to anyone who will take on the cost of moving it. The Town of Plainfield reported that a relocation study is underway, funded by donations from the Indiana Landmarks Association, the Indiana National Road Association, and the Hendricks County Convention and Visitors Bureau. They also said, “The Diner is believed to be the last remaining structure of its kind on the US 40 National Road.”
According to the Indiana Landmarks Association, there were roughly 5,000 roadside diners in the 1950s serving folks who traveled the blue highways. These historic structures have disappeared from the American landscape at an alarming rate. If you’re ever out motoring and you pass one of these nostalgic diners, take the time to stop in and enjoy a piece of our history.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
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