Pioneer History by Richard C. Schmal

Strange, Unusual & Interesting Historical Facts

Did You Know That --

-- several stores in downtown Lowell had hand-operated elevators installed? Three stores that had elevators for all levels for passengers and stock included the old "Red Front Grocery" (directly east of Mi Ranchito) on the west side, the drug store at Clark and Commercial, and the " Sears" building. Two other buildings had heavy duty elevators, large enough for buggies and autos: the present building at the corner of Halsted and Commercial (Tish's) and at the Superior Furniture building.

-- in years past, the north side of the present Lowell Carpet Store was topped by a huge skylight? It furnished bright daylight for a professional photo studio that occupied the second level for many decades.

-- photographs taken from the top of the "stand pipe," Lowell's early water storage, have been found in local collections? Brave photographers climbed the 100-foot tower to take 'aerial' pics of downtown Lowell.

-- there was a stockyard in Lowell for many years, now gone? The large covered building with stock pens stood on the south side of Oakley Street, west side of the railroad, where there was a loading platform for shipping livestock to the Chicago Stock Yards.

-- after most snowstorms during winters past, the streets of Lowell were lined with a parade of bobsleds? Farmers would come into town for shopping or to bring crops to the local elevators.

-- Redwing Lake, northeast of Lowell, was formerly called "Shurte's (shoe-it's) Marsh? It was the site of the "Silver Fox Farm."

-- the area on the south side of Commercial Ave. near the downtown stop light was for decades a large deep empty space? No buildings were there until the 1930's and 40's. Posts and rough lumber served as a railing along the sidewalk. For some years a wooden bandstand stood there; a volunteer band often entertaining the downtown shoppers, many with their buggies parked in that empty space, now a part of the alley . For many years a story (or tale?) was circulated about town that there was a plan to extend Mill Street south of Commercial Ave., but the land owner refused to sell his acreage.

-- Indiana Highway Rt. 2 went up and over the railroad at North Hayden? It was a steep incline of cinders until it was changed in the 1920's.

-- one of the early farmer's winter chores was to bring wood from the marsh to make sure that his family had enough firewood?

-- a story in a 1943 Lowell Tribune told of the finding of an invitation to a dance "sometime before 1885" at Hale's Hall that was in a frame building that stood on the site of the 1903 Lowell National Bank building, now the home of a C'est Moi beauty parlor at 316 East Commercial Ave.? Music was by Babbit's string band. Way back in 1870 the Weakly grocery and restaurant was in the lower level of that old frame building. The Sanger hardware store was there in 1874. The Lavino art gallery was in the upper level and a bakery was on the lower level about 1903, when the building was demolished to make room for the stone and brick bank building.