Long before the phrase "Keep on truckin' " sprang into the hip lingo of the 1970's, matchbooks advertised nearly every type of business. While not discernible in the photo, this 18 wheeler with its two-tone cab is traveling at a high rate of speed hauling the goods (matchbooks, perhaps?) to a city near you.
Founded in 1930 by brothers Carroll and Galen Roush, Roadway Express quickly became a prosperous business, perhaps due to their motto, "Dedicated To Better Service". By the time this matchbook was produced, Roadway terminals dotted the Eastern half of the United States, from Aberdeen, Maryland to York, Pennsylvania. (The KC Matchgirl notes with interest that the local Roadway terminal was located across the state line, in Kansas City, Kansas and was the last point west.) Another odd fact was that 3 of their 4 sales offices were located in Canada.
Always moving and growing, Roadway acquired the Canadian freight line Reimer Express, in 1997. Then in 2003, those 2 companies merged with Yellow Freight, a process that would take six years to legally complete. Yellow Freight was also founded by 2 brothers, back in 1924, and was at one time an expansion of the Yellow Cab Co.
Once the merger was complete, the new name reflected the original companies- Yellow Roadway Corp. (YRC). On the verge of bankruptcy, the new corporation saved either Roadway or Yellow, or both, from imminent demise- KC Matchgirl is a collector and not a financial analyst. Today, YRC delivers freight across the US, including Alaska and Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
Matchbook Date: Late 1960's
Remember when restaurants had original, one-of-a-kind names? Cute names, that you didn't forget and didn't blend in, unlike the generic restaurant chains so prevalent today?
The KC Matchgirl invites you to join her at the Bird Cage Piano Lounge, where she imagines that in the land of long-ago matchcovers, one could enjoy light libations amidst the soothing sounds of the tinkling ivories...
Or, for something different, we'll just go around the corner to the Lazy Leopard Lounge and check out the Spear Bar (what ever that is).
That's right, the Bird Cage and the Lazy Leopard are not only part of the same complex, they are both featured on the same matchbook. Once called the New Tower Hotel Courts, it was originally affiliated with Master Hosts and boasted 220 comfortable, luxurious rooms. By the 1970's the complex grew to 330 rooms, was renamed the New Tower Inn, and was affiliated with Best Western. Stretched between Omaha's N. 78th St. and the Little Papillion Creek, New Tower had multiple connected buildings; motel rooms, Solar-Dome pool, and the restaurants- in a round building that was perhaps referred to as the "tower". Note that restaurant is plural: 2 coffee shops, 2 dining rooms, and 3 "unique" bars and cocktail lounges. The Bird Cage and the Lazy Leopard are the only ones advertised here, which means it's a mystery to solve the remaining "unique" name. Was it the Goldfish Bowl? The Peppy Panda? Someday, the KC Matchgirl hopes to find out.
By 1997, when the New Tower had become a Quality Inn, a deal was struck and the Blazak family that had owned the property since 1934 sold the whole shebang to a developer. The KC Matchgirl imagines that the business started as an old-time motor court on the outskirts of Omaha that was rebuilt and remodeled over the years into a modern complex, which all became rubble to make way for a strip mall named "Tower Plaza".
However, the Lazy Leopard Lounge as well as other portions of the complex had its moment of fame in 1995 and will live on cinematically, having been used for scenes in the movie, "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar" starring Wesley Snipes, John Leguizamo, and the late Patrick Swayze.
New Tower Hotel Courts was located at 7764 Dodge St, Omaha, Nebraska. This matchcover dates to the early 1970's.
"We are made of starstuff" was the catchphrase from astrophysicist Carl Sagan's 1980 miniseries, Cosmos.
Of course, no one would name the "World's Finest Resort Hotel" something as mundane as "starstuff". You need a name that has a cosmically magical quality that will grab attention. And outlined in glowing neon, the giant googie-style letters spelling STARDUST meant you had arrived at the first "elegant supper-club gambling entertainment complex".
Originally conceived as the "Starlite", Tony Camero began building Las Vegas' newest casino in 1954. Camero opened his first casino in 1931, when gambling was legalized in Nevada. Utilizing the new concept of roadside architecture to lure customers, he began building a 5-winged complex with 1,000 rooms. Alas, Camero ran out of money and spent his final moments at the craps table at the Desert Inn, succumbing to a fatal heart attack. The project languished for 2 years until it was bought by John Factor, whose brother Max owned a popular cosmetics line. Once completed, it opened for business on July 2, 1958 as the Stardust.
According to this embossed matchbook, the Stardust once had 5 restaurants: Moby Dick featured seafood and steaks, Aku Aku was Polynesian, The Platter for relaxed dining, Palm Room was the 24 hour coffee shop, and Cafe Continental featured the popular Lido de Paris floorshow.
Just as the universe expands and contracts, so did the Stardust. In no time, the new casino has usurped its neighbor, the Royal Nevada, to create the Stardust Auditorium. In the early years, one feature was a drive-in theater that was removed during the first major renovation in 1964, that saw the creation of polygonal Big Dipper pool. After the final expansion in 1991, the Stardust had transformed its 1,000 first-floor "bungalows" into a 9-floor complex with 1,592 rooms. The French showgirls got the boot in 1992, and with much fanfare the whole complex shut down in November, 2006. 6 months later, starry or not, the casino/hotel/resort was dust itself.
Since that time, the old Stardust site has been slated for new development. Scheduled to open in 2010 with 5,300 rooms, the Echelon failed to have enough $tar$tuff, if you know what I mean. Two years ago, a new developer, Resorts World, announced an Asian-themed complex would rise on the site instead. With 3,500 rooms, the mega-resort would also duplicate (on a smaller scale) the Great Wall of China and a panda habitat. While construction finally began this year, the pandas have been put on hold, at least until they have enough $tar$tuff.
Note: This early 1970's matchbook does not show the address, but the Stardust was located at 3000 Las Vegas Blvd.
Go ahead, send your camel to bed- especially if you can't get to the oasis by 10 PM. When you're out "in the middle of nowhere" South Dakota, not much stays open until midnight.
(The KC Matchgirl was never a fan of Maria Muldaur's 1974 hit, but the song does get stuck in your head when you think of the word "oasis".)
But if you get up early, like at 7 AM early, you and your camel can stock up on anything and everything you need for those lonely stretches of interstate travel. Whether you need sliced cheese, frozen peas, spray for fleas, band-aids for your knees, chains for keys (keychains), there's all that and much more at the mall-like complex that is Al's Oasis.
The Oasis Inn is just one of the many components of this family-owned business, just off I-90 at the Chamberlain/Oacoma exit, not far from the Missouri River. As such, the Oasis Inn offers some unusual ammenities, such as protected boat parking, a fish & game cleaning area, and a freezer for storing game. At the other end of the spectrum, they offer "fancy suites", whirlpool and sauna, and free movies. And for seasoned travelers they promote a "traveling men's rate" and truck & bus parking.
The rest of the oasis complex includes a restaurant, deli, banking, and a campground. What started as a small-town grocery store by Albert Mueller, a German immigrant, in 1919 mushroomed as a beacon for travelers as the highways and interstates expanded through South Dakota. By 1989 a new 10,000 sq. ft. complex was built, only to be expanded another 17,000 sq. ft. in 2013.
And just to remind you this oasis is in South Dakota, Al's now has the over-sized fiberglass bison for your photo opportunities, with or without your camel.
Note: The Oasis Inn & Al's Oasis is located at 1000 E. Highway 16, Oacoma, SD. This matchbook dates to the late 1980's, early 1990's.
It's the final frame for this bowling champ- watch his somewhat frentic form as he throws for the strike...
Commerce City Bowl offered more than just bowling. Billiards, the ever-popular snack bar, a play room for "kiddies" and FREE parking. Patrons could also phone in reservations, and just to be sure you're dialing the right phone number, the matchcover lists it twice.
Fearing annexation by the nearby city of Denver, the locals incorporated in 1952, naming their new town "Commerce Town". After 10 years of living within these generic boundaries, the citizenry voted to change the name to Commerce City. In recent years, they had the option to change/update the name once more but the majority stuck with Commerce City. The KC Matchgirl thinks it could cost a lot of money to change the mayor's stationary and the city limit signs, at any rate.
As for the bowling facility, one could assume that fun was had by all for many years, what with all the strikes and spares, eating snacks at the snack bar, kiddies playing in the play room, and all that free parking. But in actuality, the building at 6495 Monaco has had a longer affiliation with its second tenant, The Edelweiss Club. This German social club has used the former bowling alley, according to their records, for 40 years. The club had its last event, a farewell dance, in September 2013, then moved to a new facility in Morrison, CO soon after.
Since July 2014, the building has a new life as the Salon Madrid Event Center, hosting a wide variety of events, from concerts to private receptions, catering mostly to the Hispanic population.
So while the sign on the door has changed, and changed, the concept of entertainment, food, and fun has remained.
Note: This matchcover dates to the mid-1970's
Traveler, are you weary from your journey? Need a convenient place to rest and recharge? Just ahead, a luminous neon sign along the interstate beckons you.
The Trade Winds Motor Hotel & Restaurant once had 2 locations in Oklahoma, with matching neon signs and amenities. Whether stopping for the night in Oklahoma City or Tulsa, travelers could "Dine in Delight by Candle Light" at the Club & Restaurant. According to this 40-count matchbook, other amenities included: swimming pool, playground for the kiddies, qualified baby sitters, patio-dining, free TV in every room, and COLOR TV in the lobby.
Part of the Best Western Motel system, Trade Winds was AAA approved. For whatever reason, the tropical/Caribbean/ swaying palm trees theme was popular among motel owners who wanted to offer their patrons a scene of exotic relaxation at the side of a busy interstate. The actual "trade winds" are a prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics used by ancient mariners to cross the ocean from Europe to the Americas.
Today, the Tulsa location is still operating under the same name, with 2 complexes on the same stretch of E. Skelly Drive. The original motel has been updated and the restaurant is now named "Elephant Run". The KC Matchgirl kids you not; anyplace that sounds more like a zoo exhibit than an eating establishment should probably be avoided. Lastly, the neon sign pictured on the matchcover has been replaced by a lighted plastic sign with a drawing of the original- a rather sad tribute to its former self.
In Oklahoma City, at the intersection listed as an address for the motel, the 4 corners feature 2 large business buildings and 2 large vacant lots. Whether the Trade Winds was demolished recently or years ago, it is clearly gone with the wind.
Interestingly enough, miles away, on the other side of town, there is a Best Western Motel operating under the name "Trade Winds"- the name and the concept lives on.
Date: Mid- 1960's
Location: Oklahoma City, 31st & Lincoln, just blocks from the state capitol building, on Route 66
Tulsa, 3141 E. Skelly Drive, off Interstate 44
Matches and fire seem to be a necessary danger. We need matches to quickly bring forth a flame, which can be either useful or deadly.
This matchbook, produced by Diamond Match International Corporation has the unique, but important message about the safe use of matches.
Ever since the first matches (congreves) were invented in 1827, the populous has found the phosphorous match to be dangerous. Improvements to lessen the various dangers have come in baby steps. An early salesman for Diamond Match suggested moving the enclosed striker to the outside cover and the "close cover" wording we now take for granted. In 1973, manufacturers moved the striker from the front cover to the back, hence older matchbooks are often called "front strikers".
No matter the precautions taken by manufacturers, ultimately the final step in safety comes from the user.
In this promotion, adults are reminded to keep safety first in this cover's chiastic message. Use of the chiasmus ( ky-AZ-mus, n. a reversal in the order of words in two otherwise parallel phrases) imparts an added impact to a simple message.
Take it from the match, it knows-
Note: The KC Matchgirl is going to take an educated guess that this public service message was produced as a direct result of industry changes in 1973, when the striker switched from front to back covers. For other covers in this series, see the post from June 2018, On The Move.
