texianjoe

Also there was Cooters, Roxy's, the Rubiat, Tuesdays, The Crazy Bannana, and one I cannot remember the name at the moment but it was on the westbound side of Wertheimer around

Fondren area.  It was two stories and in the middle of an apartment complex.

There used to be a dance hall/pool room just south of the Hobby Airport and north of Almeda Genoa on Telephone road in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but I understand it was burned down. Does anyone have any information on the name or history on it? It has a lot of good memories for me and my family. Thanks.

I know I'm a day late and a dollar short but it was called Max's on the Border.  It was between where Almeda dead ends into Telephone and starts again a block further south.

Te

Dont know if their in the same location but Chuck Davis is still around. Did a search for "Chuck Davis Chevrolet Houston Texas 1960`s" to try and get a old address and found a recent listing.

Chuck Davis Chevrolet Incdocument.write('');

2277 S Loop W, Houston, TX 77001

Phone: (713) 794-2500

Chuck Davis used to be on O.S.T. somewhere between Scott and 288. They moved to the S. Loop sometime in the 80s.

joe

Are you Joe I.?

When I was in high school, we used to go tot he Texas Steak Ranch. THey had fabulous tamales and they introduced me to what I now know as Ranch dressing.

"I" is my middle initial. J.I.G.

joe

They are currently building a Wal-MArt on that site. Its right where Victory Lakes is now, across the freeway from the HEB. For years you could still see the stage lights.

It was directly behind where "The Car Spot" a little used car dealer is now between League City and Dickinson on the northbound side of I45. Until a couple of years ago you could still see the poles and lights that lined the strip along with the observation stand you see in some of the pictures. I was there in the early to late 70s.

joe

Dirty's isn't listed at all anymore on B4-U-EAT, so I suspect the other location's closed too.

Dirtys had two locations one I believe where you say on Chimney Rock and the other in the Heights somewhere. It was a white wooden clapboard siding building with green trim. They were more famous for their burgers, but I think you are right they are both gone.

joe

Without reading the whole thread, I don't believe anyone has mentioned Texas Steak Ranch. It was in a big log cabin looking building one block south of Richmond and Fountainview behind what is now Barrys Pizza. Which back then was Baby Janes Saloon. Texas Steak Ranch had what was back then the best Chicken Fried Steak in Houston and was one of my first introductions to Buttermilk Salad dressing before it became popular.

joe

I had forgotten there was that Buick dealership at Kirby & Westheimer, where Taco Milagro is now. It wasn't Demontrond in it's latest incarnation, HUB maybe? It was there until the late 80's or early 90's.

There was a Lincoln-Mercury dealership on Kirby too, somewhere around where Whole Foods is now I think. I remember my brother getting a horrid Mercury version of the Pinto there, I think it was called a Bobcat. But hey, it was a Mercury so I guess it was much fancier than a regular Pinto! (I'm sure it would have BLOWN UP just the same in a rear end collision)

They were Hub Buick and River Oaks Lincoln Mercury. They moved out to I10 and Kirkwood and changed names to Westpoint Lincoln Mercury Buick.

There was also a MacRoberts Chevrolet out 59N somewhere, they used a Scottish Terrier in all their ads. In the same area was Meyers Chevrolet which was later became Mel Phar, I think he was some minor baseball player.

JOE

Riff raff always reminds me of the RHPS.

Riff Raff was more like....

Since we are on the subject of Gulfgate underground, the loading dock they had going under the whole center was very large. I vaguely recall going down the elevator to loading dock under Wilson's Jeweler's Dept Store where I worked and watching delivery truck pull up. The dock was very big and I never got to see how far or deep it went under the mall. Now seems very mysterious to think about.

Wish others that commented about Gulfgate could solve this delivery/time tunnel mystery?

The tunnel was one way and started on the side of Sakowits and came out under the Gulfgate sign by the pedestrian overpass. In between the were loading docks for all the major stores and some of the small ones. It could accomadate a large box truck. I don't remember but I don't think it was big enough for 18 wheelers. We would lose people when playing cb hide and seek and other chase games back in the 70s by going under the tunnel and coming out on the 610 feeder do a quick u turn and going 610 or 45 south.

joe

joe

Joe, is that motel east of the bank that sits in the SE corner of Spencer and Walters?

In google maps there is a black top parking lot that looks abandonded but I can't see the remains of the studio.

Also, what was located at the SW corner of Shaver and Spencer?

There is now the HEB (Mi Tienda) store with a blockbuster. The structure was built in the late 90s. Behind it is a Foodtown store that looks pretty old.

The only new construction I have seen in that whole area in the past 4 years has been on Shaver north of Spencer and south of Queens on the west side of Shaver. They demolished a 1940s style abandoned home that was on a really big lot and built townhomes. I think they price just under $100K but the for sale signs that have been there since they were completed are a bad sign. Further south of that on Shaver is a creepy abandoned junkyard with cars and buses parked there. The main building and storage area suffered total collapse in a fire about 2 years ago. Since then it is a ghost town in that tract of land.

Oh, behind the junkyard is a tract of land with several slabs on it. I assume they were apartments on Perez Rd. What was the story on them?

That was the parking lot for Gilleys on Spencer and Waters.

Before Mi Tienda and HEB and Albertsons were built, that corner was a mall called Pasadena Plaza. It had a Palais Royal and a Panchos Buffet that I can remember.

I'm not sure what the story is on the slabs those used to be houses a long time ago.

joe

Correct it was a huge Sears dept store and across the street there was a nice Wyatt's Cafeteria. I think there still is a very old fashioned Pharmacy soda fountain across the from where Wyatt's once was. In fact there are still some older business sections of Pasadena that still look like the 1940-50's. Must take picture one day as I always got confused in that city. Its all curves and trangles and stuff. Older parts that is. Maybe should go under Historical Pasadena though.

Able Drugs and the multistory Entex building that was next to it were demolished about 10 years ago and a Walgreens now sits there. Gilleys was located at the SE corner of Spencer and Waters behind a small motel, which is still there. The club and rodeo arena were torn down. Parts of the recording studio are still there but hiden by overgrown weeds and bushes.

joe

Arandas Seafood on I10, inbound around Federal. They have a really good Mexican shrimp cocktail and probably the best fried oysters around. They are not limp and soggy, the texture is more crisp than most.

joe

Don Carlos on 74th

The taco bus on Wayside around Ave o.

Bradys Landing

Mucho Mexico on Wayside just south of I10 was good, I was disappointed the last time I went about a year ago, but maybe they were having a bad day.

joe

I went to Hartman and Jones from 1970 to 1976 and if I remember right the boys swam in jock straps and the girls swam those white uniform gym outfits. They told us so the chlorine did not mess up the lockers where guys left their trunks and didn't take them home after every swim class. I guess we were naive or people just didn't read to much into it. If there was a perv in the school it would probably be a coach. They were some sadistic sobs and quick to pull out a padel for any infraction.

joe

I was a Boy Scout at the South Main Baptist Church troop from '69 to '71. The head of the troop was Ralph Mills.

Every year our patrol would compete against against other patrols in a large Houston area scouting competition called Camporee (I think). It involved basic scouting skills like knot tying, etc. It was held at a scout campground somewhere right outside town.

Anyone remember these competitions? I may have the name for them wrong...

I remember them well. They were held at Camp Strake just south of Conroe. Man that seemed like it was so far out of town back then. We competed in fire building, tent pitching, signaling with flags(a long forgoten art) and orientering which was my favorite among other things.

You have it right it was the Camporee, the big one at the Astrohall was the Jamboree.

joe

My hand prints are still in the concrete of the Scout House behind Shearn Elementary on Stella Link. There were two Scout camps that were just out in the boonies - Camp Hudson way out on Memorial Drive and Camp Strake north of Houston. I've got 8 mm movies of both. Camp Hudson is now Hudson on the Bayou Condominiums. Cub Scout 58, Boy Scout - almost got to Explorer.

Thanks for The Motto.

When we were in scouts around '73, our scoutmaster volunteered his son and I to go to a bowling alley that had donated a couple of hundered used bowling pins and take them to Camp Hudson for the Cubs to use for crafts. By then Camp Hudson was a day camp only used by the Cubs. Man those things are heavy when you load and unload them into the back of a truck. I wondered what happened to the camp after it was sold.

joe

Can anyone still recite the oath? What about small tokens or items of interest while you were a member?

On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country,

And to obey the scout law

To help other people at all times,

To keep myself physically strong,

Mentally awake,

and morally straight.

A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpfull, friendly,courteous, kind, obedient, cheerfull, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.

Troop 191, Wolf patrol 1971-1975. I was a Cub before that but its a little blury.

Be prepared,

joe

P.S. I remembered without the help of google thank you very much.

Hey Joe, they had the same type of set up with the Globe store in Baytown. There was a Fisk tires that turned into a Discount Tires. I got my first NEW bike at a Globe store, it was a Monoshock Huffy, Christmas of 1975.

Cool bike, I had the yellow Schwin with the banana seat and sissy bar. You can buy original refurbished bikes like those at the Schwin shop in Pasadena on Richey. They wanted the same for one of those old bikes as I paid for my brand new Cannondale.

joe

I remember the Gemco at Airport Blvd @ I-45 quite well. I bought a couple of Intellivision games from them--I remember calling them every day for about three weeks hoping to get a Donkey Kong cartridge as soon as it was available.

I am almost certain that it was not a membership-only store; I paid for my games with my own lawn-mowing money and didn't have any sort of card when I was 13. I also remember my parents talking about whether it would make sense to pay to get a Sam's Club card, after Sam's moved into the building that Gemco left vacant. I think that was the first time we'd ever heard of a store that required membership.

That building is still standing, but it's been a flea market for about 10-15 years--longer, I think, than any other store tenant at that location!

As you walked in the front door there was a tall desk to the right where you had to show your membership card. I don't remember if it cost anything but you had to have one. They may have relaxed it in its final days. Another reason I remember is there was a pretty blond that I knew from my Village Pizza days that worked the desk. I kept trying to get her to go out with me.

wikipedia on GEMCO

joe

Everything under the Sun!

Cracks me up! That really goes back into the memory vaults! I think the logo had this goofy sun smiling up in the air?

We always ran to the records section of the store at the Gulfgate store. For some reason (unbeknowngst to me) I still recall holding and looking over the Eric Clapton album while, I shot the Sheriff played in the background. It closed shortly after that so it must have been 1974-75ish?

Then became Fedmart was supposed to be an innovation store because it had everything under one roof pre-Walmart. I worked there for about 1 year and still have my name tag.

I can't remember it being a FedMart. I remember it stood empty for a long time and then it was a Mervyns for a while. Doesn't mean it wasn't.

Before Sams Club there was Gemco. It was membership only and had Eagle Grocery stores in the back section. It was the first Super Center.

joe

I grew up in Pasadena in the 50s, and I remember that little air strip on Allen Genoa. I recall it was used mostly by crop duster pilots who were still flying those old open cockpit biplanes.

Here's a great Houston aviation trivia question. Does anybody here remember the time a National Airlines Boeing 727 landed at the tiny Dow Airport in in Lake Jackson? It really happened in July of 1972, when two guys hijacked the plane at LaGuardia Airport in NYC and tried to force a flight to Cuba.

For reasons I forget, the pilot flew to Houston, but instead of landing, he flew over IAH and put the plane down on a short runway at the county airport in Lake Jackson. He used every ounce of reversed thrust he had and every inch of that 5000 foot runway, but there they were, on the ground, at the mercy of a couple of crazy hijackers.

FBI, Texas Rangers, DPS and every county mounty barney fife and deppity dawg within 50 miles surrounded the place. It ended after several hours when the hijackers realized they and that plane weren't going anywhere and just gave up. The passengers were put on buses for the ride to Houston.

Then came the problem of what to do with the plane. That tiny airport was not built with big planes in mind, and there was brief talk about taking the plane apart and trucking the pieces back to the Boeing factory in Seattle. The pilot said if they lightened it as much as possible, he could fly it out.

So they stripped the interior down to the bare metal. Seats, overheads, wall paneling, carpeting, everything went, including the galley and the sink. They put in just enough fuel to take off and fly from Lake Jackson to IAH, and with just one person on board, the pilot, that plane did the best short runway takeoff a jet that big ever did.

He scraped the tree tops at the end of the runway but he made it and did a perfect landing at IAH about 20 minutes later. The control center cleared the air space for miles around so the pilot could get there in a straight line at minimum altitude.

Lake Jackson old timers still talk about that day. The most excitement they ever had down there.

I don't remember that at all, but man that would make for a good movie.

joe

I don't remember this show. But I noticed some of the characters last name was Carrington the same as Dynasty, which I think was a spin off of Dallas. Does anyone remember if they were intertwined.

joe

Another place a friend mentioned the other day was The Filling Station, at Richmond and Greenridge. The building is still there, it's jutst not a hamburger place any longer

That is a strip joint now. There was one on the corner of NASA 1 and Hwy 3 that was later The Hop, it still may be I don't drive over there much anymore, too much construction I go the back way.

joe

Neat. I took a ride in my first Piper Cub at Genoa Airfield. It's so close to Ellington I am surprised it was ever open.

That Cub led my to getting my pilot's license a few years later.

I used to do touch and gos at Houston Gulf (League City Municipal). It is a neighborhood now.

I used to drive in front of Genoa Airport on the way to work and always wanted to sneak in and look for parts and signs but they turned it into a sandpit before I could.

joe