MONDAY MEMORIES

New weekly series invites readers to Blade’s archives

3/17/2014
BLADE STAFF
  • hubcaps-jpg-3-17

    Published March 1, 1978. In 1978 potholes were so problematic, some clever youngsters came up with a type of lost-and-found for hubcaps that had apparently come off vehicles after they hit one of these bumps in the road.

    THE BLADE
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    • Published March 1, 1978. In 1978 potholes were so problematic, some clever youngsters came up with a type of lost-and-found for hubcaps that had apparently come off vehicles after they hit one of these bumps in the road.
    Published March 1, 1978. In 1978 potholes were so problematic, some clever youngsters came up with a type of lost-and-found for hubcaps that had apparently come off vehicles after they hit one of these bumps in the road.

    Now, something to look forward to on Monday mornings. Each week, Monday Memories will feature a classic photo gleaned from The Blade’s archives. Our goal is to make you laugh, make you think, jog your memory, or to share a piece of history.


    Let’s kick things off with a look at winters past. As spring edges ever closer, we have snow, biting cold, and potholes — many potholes — stuck in our heads. But turning back the clock to March of 1978, we discover potholes are definitely not a new phenomenon. In 1978 potholes were so problematic, some clever youngsters came up with a type of lost-and-found for hubcaps that had apparently come off vehicles after they hit one of these bumps in the road.

    This photo was taken by Blade photographer Jack Ackerman along the 3000 block of River Road in Toledo. Drivers who discovered their car had a hubcap missing could try their luck at finding it among those lying nearby. From left Jim Jacobs, Axel Mueller, Andre Mueller, John Jacobs, and Darin Gorsuch found more than 30 hubcaps lodged in the melting snowbank beside the River Road pothole near Harvard Boulevard. The boys pried loose the hubcaps and laid them along the road so that the owners of the missing hubcaps could claim them. They even made a sign proclaiming “We might have found your hubcap.” The pothole, which was estimated to be about 10 inches deep and about 3 feet long, had not only successfully knocked off all of those hubcaps, it also caused extra trouble to some motorists. One jogger reported seeing a number of car owners stopped in order to repair flat tires. And many faced similar problems on other city and area streets as the snow and ice melted, only to reveal more potholes.

    Sounds familiar.

    Go to toledoblade.com/​Memories to purchase photos by our award-winning staff of photographers, past, and present.