Towns and Nature

Friday, May 1, 2026

Sistersville Ferry on Ohio River Sunk Apr 10, 2026

Apr 29, 2026:

This is from the link referenced in the above reel. The crane came from Pittsburgh. There was no mention of why it sunk.

wtov9

An Apr 13 report:

wtov9
"Sistersville Mayor Bill Rice said harsh winter conditions caused the river to rise and move the ferry into the bank. As the river level began to drop, the boat started to adjust. On Friday, the ferry was pushed back to its regular position and sank within minutes, Rice said."
They have removed the fuel. The plan was to attach bladders to the rear and blow air in them to raise the rear. Evidently that plan failed, and they called in the crane that we see above.
The ferry doesn't open for business until May anyhow.

Facebook Reel

Apr 29:

City of Sistersville Mayor - Bill Rice posted four photos with the comment: "Thank you lord."

Jim Hudkins: A large boat sitting on the bank after the water recedes is never good, shoving it back in the water from dry land is even worse. Expensive lesson learned.

Michael Somales: Obviously it was insured. My guess is the recovery was 100K. A full overhaul will take a year with new power costing 600K-800K.

Sistersville Ferry posted 14 photos with the comment: "Here are the still pics I got today at the Ferry's lift."

9, cropped

wtrf Apr 30 report:

“Well we found out this morning when we brought it out of the water that the right rudder has been tore off of it and there’s some other damage to it that the insurance company is still assessing right now. So once we get that done, then we can go from there on what we’re gonna do.”

Mayor Bill Rice, Sistersville

Here is what the ferry looked like during better times.

Dana Rukse, Feb 2018

Wheeling, IL: Metra/SOO Depots

(Satellite)

This town is a study in urban sprawl.

Andy Zukowski posted
Richard Fiedler shared
SOO Line Depot in Wheeling, Illinois. 1968 Photo taken by Wesley L. Hammond

Comments on Andy's post

Dennis DeBruler commented on Scott's second comment
It appears the grain elevator and depot still existed in this 1967 photo. https://chf.isgs.illinois.edu/1967/005103/005103_0271_downsampled.jpg

Dennis DeBruler tried commenting on his comment but Facebook would not nest that deep
Or was the grain elevator already replaced by a ready-mix plant in 1967? https://maps.app.goo.gl/TNW29vpgYvmtBJGq7

Dennis DeBruler also commented
In fact, we can tell by the shadow of the conveyor belt in this 1960 aerial that the grain elevator in the photo has already been replaced by the ready-mix plant. So, the photo does need to be older than 1960. But I do think the depot was extant in 1967. https://chf.isgs.illinois.edu/1960/000961/000961_0012_downsampled.jpg

This town participated in the suburban clock tower race.

Street View, Jul 2019

The town was created because of the road Milwaukee Ave. instead of the railroad.

1900/00 Highwood Quad @ 62,500

But the town was quick to include the location of the depot.

1928/28 Wheeling Quad @ 24,000

By 1953, a few more streets were added and Wolf Road was built across farmland.

1953/55 Wheeling Quad @ 24,000

By 1963, urban sprawl had reached Wheeling.

1963/63 Wheeling Quad @ 24,000

Protection, KS: Grain Elevator Fire

(Satellite)

Storage on the left, a feed mill on the right and an antique in the background.

Street View, May 2012

The railroad was the Sante Fe. The Kansas & Oklahoma (KO) used to operate the railroad east of here. But I see that is now abandoned. The tracks were gone in a 2008 street view.

I see some Purina logos on the building on the right side.

Street View, May 2012

The north side of the antique elevator has a couple of bolted-steel silos.

Street View, Jun 2008

I'm glad I paid attention to the older storage elevator because that is the one that burned.

Bob Summers posted
Forwarded this post received this morning regarding an elevator fire in Protection Kansas.

Thursday, April 30, 2026

Superior, WI: 1911-29 Ore Dock

(Satellite, according to the topo map below, it ran North from here.)

Eric Lee posted six images with the comment:

Some history on the mostly forgotten Minn., St. Paul & Ste. Marie Railway (the Soo Line) Ore Dock in Superior
Soo Line Railroad built a single iron ore dock in West Superior (now called 'North End') facing north off Grassy Point. This was the largest ore dock ever built in Superior, and the shortest lived. It served the Cuyuna Range, and grew proportionally to the ranges mining developments. First constructed in 1910-11 entirely of timber, it extended 1800 ft. from just south of the Northern Pacific Grassy Point line into St. Louis Bay. It had 100 pockets. On May 27th, 1911, approximately 8pm, the first of the ore was loaded aboard the steamer Alva, which would then carry its relatively small 3500-ton load to the Rogers Brown Ore Company furnaces at Buffalo, NY. In 1911-12, a 600 ft. extension was added and another 600 ft. during 1912-13, bringing it to a length of 3000 ft. In October of 1914, a boxcar body was placed for a lunchroom shelter. In 1915, a 67x190 ft. fire dock was completed approximately 275 ft west of the main dock, half of which was built over water. Also in this year, the boxcar body lunchroom burned and was soon replaced. During 1916, a 24x24 ft. frame ore dock office building was built, complete with block foundation and indoor plumbing. During 1916-17, a final 612 ft. dock extension added another 402 pockets and an ultimate length of 3612 ft., extending all the way to the U.S. Harbor Line, making it the single largest dock in the world. It had been equipped electrically from the beginning allowing for 24 hour operation, reportedly drawing visitors from all around to see the work being done. 1920 saw the second box-car shelter burn to the ground and a permanent 12x32 ft. structure built, this being eventually moved to the 21st Street Yard at the completion of the ore dock operation. The dock's ore yards were located between South Superior and 28th Street, west of the Great Northern tracks. As early as 1925, engineering department inspections predicted increasing maintenance problems and expenditures with heavy use of the dock, with visual indicators such as sinking and shifting occurring in the approach and original dock section. Along with maintenance, other factors such as comparatively slower load times than Northern Pacific's dock and the need to enlarge the underpass at Rossburg for larger locomotive power led to the docks last commercial use by boat and rail in 1928. After the Northern Pacific-Soo Line Cuyuana Range merger of June 1929, all Soo ore traffic would be diverted to the NP's dock at Allouez Bay, and Addison-Miller Company was contracted to dismantle and salvage the usable materials from the dock. By August of 1930, approximately 400 ft. of the dock had been dismantled. The rest burned violently, probably caused by one of the torches used for cutting drift pins. For approximately 14 hours, the fire raged to the sight of about 10,000 spectators, becoming Superior's most spectacular fire. In an attempt to divert the flames from further damage, a 250 lb. charge of dynamite was placed and ignited, causing windows to break in both Superior and neighboring Duluth. But this accomplished little, and the fire continued to burn the remainder of the structure. Losses of 14 million ft. of salvageable lumber valued at $420,000 and a stiff beam derrick among other equipment was lost. No lives were lost. Today, the remains of the Soo ore dock may be seen (especially when water levels are down) at the base of the Bong Bridge in Superior.

Kent Rengo: Lakehead Constructors in Superior overlooks the former dock location.

1, cropped

1954/55 West Duluth Quad @ 24,000

Farber, MO: Museum/GM&O Depot

(Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2024

Farber Missouri 1874 Chicago & Alton Depot posted

Farber Missouri 1874 Chicago & Alton RR Depot

For anyone interested, we are having an open house at the Farber Missouri 1874 Chicago & Alton RR Depot April 19, 2026. Hoping to fix it up & open it as a museum.

Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Kindron, OH: Lehman's Gas and Hardware Store

(Satellite)

Street View, Jun 2019

In the store, they have an older gas pump.

Justin Barhorst, Jun 2024

A Rumely Oil Pull tractor:

RP Ettore, Apr 2021

That tractor is worthy of a couple of photos.

Amber Anspach, May 2020

The building itself is notable. Since this store is in Amish country, do they sell that line-shaft equipment for their factories? If so, I'd like to tour the factories.

Andrew Fisher, Oct 2025

Note the miniature water pumps near the top of this photo. My wife's grandmother had one mounted next to her kitchen sink. Or are these models? I think her kitchen pump was bigger than these.

Scott Tschetter, Nov 2025

I assume these sewing machines are models.

Sarah Monheim, Jul 2022

I wonder if there were so many wrenches back then because socket sets had yet to be developed.

Melody Reed posted

I like the juxtaposition of plastic pipe and hand water pumps for wells. The water pump in the lower-left corner is the type that would be mounted by the kitchen sink.

Ed Young, May 2025

Does someone make custom kitchen appliances that look old?

Lloyd S (Lloyd S/LSchicago), Aug 2025

This display is to the right of the above display.

Mark E Bass, Sep 2024

I've never before seen a wringer washing machine that is this old. It looks like the agitator is driven from the top instead. I wonder if it was hand cranked.

Bill Rocklin, Oct 2025

It looks like they may sell wooden tubs. The stuff hanging on the racks at the right are christmas cookies. The things on the high selves in the background are hand-cranked meat grinders. I sremember turning one to help make hash.

Michelle Anderegg, Apr 2026

I didn't know they made attachments for wringer washers. The butter churn is driven by the agitator shaft. I don't know what attachment is driven by the wringer shaft. Also, there is an older wringer in the upper-left corner.

TYE “TYE317” EDWARDS, Oct 2023

This store is in Amish country, so you can buy butter churns.

Mark E Bass, Sep 2024

A hand-cranked phone and a Remington typewriter. When I needed a photo of a typewriter a few years ago, I had a hard time finding one to take the photo.