Neil Armstrong Moon Landing, My Dunlap Arrival July 20 1969

Last remaining structure at Cable Line Meat Market

    Sunday, July 20, 1969 in Detroit Michigan we “loaded up the truck and we moved” to Dunlap Indiana, Cable Line Road to be precise, to a vintage (dilapidated) mobile home beside Roy Stealy’s Cable Line Meat Market.

Yes, fifty years ago I moved from Detroit to Dunlap and began exploring, upon my green stingray bicycle, the surrounding area.

I explored Cable Line Road (County Road 26).

I looked upon growing stalks of corn beside which there was parked a green tractor. I rode my bicycle through arcs of chilled irrigation water as it splashed upon the road and then evaporated quickly in the 80 degree summer heat. Actual communications cable ran from pole to pole, slightly swaging in between. I viewed the rolling farmland as it reached into the Earthy distance periodically interrupted with a weather-worn red barn and sunlit steel silo as I listened to WLS on my transistor radio.

The openness of the Dunlap farmland in contrast to the congestion of Detroit streets was welcomed. It was spiritually refreshing to see rows of green corn meet the blue horizon in the distance.

   That evening, on the 20^th, I watched on tv as Neil Armstrong set foot upon the moon. I considered…there was Astronaut Armstrong walking someplace he had never been. He was in a new place to explore and appreciate. I was emotionally as far away from Detroit as Neil was physically from the Earth. The experience of Neil Armstrong on the moon encouraged me and inspired me all the more to explore and appreciate my new environment in Dunlap.

 The next day I ventured onto County Road 13 until it became Harding Road where I then discovered the school I would be attending.

Concord Junior High sat upon the corner of Mishawaka Road and US 33 much like a college campus having three buildings: The 2-story library building in which also was Principal Sweisberger’s office. The Central building which, with its various unpredictable landings, seemed to be an architect’s “freedom of creativity” assignment.

same gym area...new floor, bleachers and such. what was a stage is now classrooms

And the gym building completed the “college campus” feel. I was very impressed with the gym, freshly refinished and still carrying the aroma and the gloss of the maple wood. Of course I discovered the cafeteria in which dances would also be held. Milk was served in half-pint glass bottles from Cook’s dairy.

I still remember my 8^th grade class schedule:

1^st hour…History in the Central Building with Mr. Cassel (not sure of the proper spelling).

2^nd hour….P.E. with Mr. Culp

3^rd hour…math with Mr. Springer, Central building.

4^th hour…Shop class with Mr. Spicard ( Spicard and Cassel had previously been football players for either Green Bay or Chicago, they seemed proud of mentioning it periodically).

5^th hour…Study hall Library building.

6^th hour… English in Library building with Mr. George.

7^th hour…Science in Library building with Mr. Huff.

After school, and before riding my stingray back to Cable Line Road, I enjoyed ice cream at the Flavor Freeze. That too was a new experience for me. If Detroit had any such novelty, I never found it.

Flavor Freeze Dunlap Indiana

I am pleased that the Flavor Freeze still operates. Many things, such as the Minuteman Drive-in, have gone away with time.

Yes, I have lived in the Elkhart area for fifty years as of July 20.

I will take a drive along Cable Line road and then visit the Flavor Freeze as homage to my 14 year old self and celebration of Dunlap.

The property which once was Cable Line Meat Market is now a collection of rubble amidst a chaos of foliaceous overgrowth. No mobile homes remain. Only one structure still holds on as evidence that once this was a domestic property. It is a small wood shed of some kind. I remember Roy Stealy keeping a car within that shed.

The swaging cable no longer exists.

Center of photograph is were the Cable Line Monster Tree once stood

Oh yes, I forgot to mention the Cable Line Monster! That was at the intersection of County Road 11 and Cable Line. There was a tree with disturbed bark, which could have, with some imagination, appeared to be the imprint of a person.

Even that tree from my youth is now gone. Perhaps it was removed so as to terminate the awkward gawkings of passersby.

While the rest of the world will be remembering, celebrating, aggrandizing man’s first step on the moon, I will be appreciating Apollo 11’s inspirational encouragement upon me to take my own giant leap in Dunlap, Concord, and what has become fifty years of adventure-rich living!

Supplemental:

WLS Top Forty

                            JULY  14, 1969                             
 1. IN THE YEAR 2525                                Zager & Evans-R.C.A.  4
 2. CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION               Tommy James/Shondells-Roulette  1
 3. SPINNING WHEEL                         Blood, Sweat & Tears-Columbia  2
 4. GOOD MORNING STARSHINE                                Oliver-Jubilee  3
 5. RUBY DON'T TAKE YOUR LOVE TO TOWN-Kenny Rogers/First Edition-Reprise  7
 6. ONE                                          Three Dog Night-Dunhill  5
 7. BABY I LOVE YOU                                       Andy Kim-Steed 10
 8. WHAT DOES R TAKE                      Jr. Walker & The Allstars-Soul 11
 9. QUENTINS THEME                 Charles Randolph Greane Sound-Ranwood 19
10. MY CHERIE AMOUR                                  Stevie Wonder-Tamla 17
11. MY PLEDGE OF LOVE                             Joe Jeffrey Group-Wand 12
12. PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART            Jackie DeShannon-Imperial 23
13. LOVE THEME FROM ROMEO & JULIET                  Henry Mancini-R.C.A.  8
14. COLOR HIM FATHER                                 Winstons-Metromedia  6
15. ISRAELITES                                   Desmond Decker/Aces-Uni  9
16. MOTHER POPCORN                                      James Brown-King 24
17. ALONG CAME JONES                                Ray Stevens-Monument 22
18. SWEET CAROLINE                                      Neil Diamond-Uni 28
19. LOVE ME TONIGHT                                     Tom Jones-Parrot 15
20. POLK SALAD ANNIE                             Tony Joe White-Monument 30
21. BAD MOON RISING                 Creedence Clearwater Revival-Fantasy 16
22. GOOD OLD ROCK & ROLL    Cat Mother & The All Night News Boys-Polydor 29
23. BLACK PEARL                             Sonny Charles/Checkmates-A&M 13
24. LET ME                                  Paul Revere/Raiders-Columbia 14
25. MRS. ROBINSON                                Booker T & The MGs-Stax 25
26. TOO BUSY THINKING ABOUT MY BABY                    Marvin Gaye-Tamla 20
27. BIRTHDAY                               Underground Sunshine-Intrepid 40
28. YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS YOUNG                             Roy Clark-Dot 32
29. RECONSIDER ME                                 Johnny Adams-SSS Int'l 34
30. HONKY TONK WOMAN                               Rolling Stones-London --
31. DAYS OF SAND & SHOVELS                             Bobby Vinton-Epic 31
32. LAUGHING                                            Guess Who-R.C.A. 37
33. HURT SO BAD                                        Lettermen-Capitol --
34. BREAK AWAY                                        Beach Boys-Capitol 39
35. WE GOT MORE SOUL                    Dyke and the Blazers-Orig. Sound 35
36. SOUL DEEP                                              Box Tops-Mala --
37. ABERGAVENNY                                         Shannon-Heritage --
38. MARAKESH EXPRESS                      Crosby, Stills & Nash-Atlantic --
39. WORKIN' ON A GROOVY THING                  Fifth Dimension-Soul City --
40. A BOY NAMED SUE                                 Johnny Cash-Columbia --