Yet another Kokomo mystery

[Jeff Young]

This is the Kokomo Masonic Hall, an image I've seen many times.



But hang on.  What's that in the background?

[Jim Courtney]

I think I see where you're coming from, Jeff.

Almost immediately below the distant peak is a frame structure at / near the C&S grade. It could be an electric power transmission line tower.  But it seems near the site of the original Kokomo water tank:

https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/12391



Perhaps a smidge up grade from the tank location. Could this be a wood framed water standpipe, fed by the creek coming down the ridge.  Perhaps like the one at Breckenridge:




If the original tank had been replaced by a stand pipe by the teens, that might explain why the railfans of the late 1920s and 1930s never seemed to have taken a photo of the Kokomo water tank. Was it gone by then??

Hang on! I remembered the Allen DL&G Structures book that Rick Steel shared with us, and looked up Kokomo tank:




The notation states that the tank burned in 1902 (no wonder no photos!!). I can't decipher the rest of the notation. Evidently water was supplied by the creek, even when the tank existed.

So, it might well be a standpipe in the Masonic Hall photo. Or then again just a power transmission tower . . .

[Chris Walker]

And here I was looking at the interesting "dwelling", of what has the looks of a Boxcar at one time, was what Jeff is alluding to?
Is that a swampcooler under the awning, I wonder, and appears to have its own Streetlight, too boot!!



Jim's previous post on the Towers....  http://c-sng-discussion-forum.254.s1.nabble.com/Rural-electrification-tp4229p4236.html shows indeed that is a transmission tower as previously discussed ...

[Jeff Young]

He he... yes I remember the discussion on the towers.  

But I was indeed talking about the possible boxcar.  Funny how when you're focused on one thing you think it's obvious to everyone else.... ;)

[Jim Courtney]

Funny how when you're focused on one thing you think it's obvious to everyone else.... ;)

Funny how you can always find something that you want to find, even if it isn't there!

Thanks for the thread, Jeff. Now I don't need to spend anymore time looking for the Kokomo water tank.

FWIW, the "boxcar" dwelling looks more like a Gypsy caravan to me . . .

[Paul R.]

What would be the age of the car near the boxcar home?  the boxcar looks to have 2 windows and a door on the side, maybe an ex work car.?? Paul R.

[Jeff Young]

Paul R. wrote

What would be the age of the car near the boxcar home?

1930s.

[Chris Walker]

More to consider:
note there is no Roofwalk, nor corner irons nor fascia boards visible either, a lot of work to remove the walk for no gain...fwiw.
 
It seems a bit early for Pre-fab'ed Office/accomodation which this structure does have the looks of.  The resemblence to a Boxcar is uncanny, especially with the roof panels and central doorway location, maybe that was what the builder was familiar with, perhaps?
The car age may be irrelevant due to Miners/Contractors using "old bombs" for that purpose. Crampton in the 30's prefered Model T's in his prospecting in Nevada, due to fixability by a Blacksmith and ability to travel places others couldn't go.
So this could be taken in the 40's or post WW2; LibCongress have only the "documentation post 1933" denoted and there isn't any others taken there by that photographer posted.

[Jeff Young]

So if it was in the 40s, would that have been long enough for the original siding/roof to have deteriorated to the point that someone completely re-sheathed it?

[Keith Hayes]

Could it have been an early tractor-trailer?

I agree that the proportions look very box car-y, but it is a bit on the small side and a bit light weight looking.

I confess from the first photo, I wondered if you were looking at the roadbed along the building, though the Masonic Hall is a treasure trove of architectural detailing in wood!

[Mike Trent]

I agree with Keith. I think that's a trailer.

[Jeff Young]

Most tractor-trailer photos I've seen of the period are more air-stream-like.









But maybe that's just because they're more photogenic?

[Keith Hayes]

Jeff, at this date, this would be an older, surplus (or perhaps wrecked) trailer. Pre-art-deco-streamlined for sure.

If you want to eat among the parts of a trailer similar to that in the third photo and can stand vegan food, visit City-O-City in Denver. (I have to say that their food is among the best of this cuisine I have had).

[Jeff Young]

A friend sent me this:



Which seems to suggest (given the roof walk) that converting box cars to trailers was also a thing?

[Ken Martin]

My grandfather managed an Eclipse Lumber store in Iowa. I wonder if their was a connection?
It looks more like refrigerator doors than boxcar.
Also note the ladder under the roofwalk.

[Jeff Young]

The plot thickens.

You could see it being a refrigerated lorry (where what we see at the end is just a platform next to the ice hatches rather than a full roof walk).  And in that case maybe it was built specifically for that rather than repurposed from a railroad car.

But you'd think the ice hatches would stand high enough to also be seen.

And it begs the question of why anyone would need cold boxes or lumber....

[Chris Walker]

Right-hand drive too.