Square Midwest Corners The corner was a nasty one a Midwest square corner only this one was on a major hiway Hiway 30 and it was nothing more than a narrow two-lane back then and went right thru town the small town of Dunlap, Iowa dont laff that is its real name, named after George W. Dunlap, a CNW Railroad official. John I. Blair was a railroad magnet that purchased land in the Boyer Valley from the government, then sold portions of it to the railroad he platted the town of Dunlap on June 26, 1867 as it was close to where the new railroad was going through the Boyer Valley. Dunlap was a small town...when we went thru it in 1965, probably no more than a population of 1000 or so (and probably no larger today). The crash totaled the Chrysler I was riding in. For the second time in my life, it almost ended at the hands of another not just a friend but a very close friend my future brother-in-law. Remember that old saying: accidents occur within 35 miles of home we were half that -- seventeen miles from home when the crash occurred. My future bro-in-law, Bob, owned a Chrysler, a 1960, Teal in color and very nice hed traded his Dads 56 Chrysler in on it. The sixty had just been repainted becuz Bob didnt like the stock two-tone that was on it besides, a small fender-bender clinched the repaint deal not Bobs fault, but it needed replacing and the hood straightened Bob wasnt hurt, but the car was shoulda known then and there, the Chrysler was jinxed Bobs luck with Chryslers is almost legendary but he didnt agree, he loved that car, had it repainted. Fresh out of the body shop he offered to drive back home since I was sick. And I was sick probably for better than two weeks the trip home had been scheduled for quite a while and wed both taken time off from work the occasion was a huge family reunion in our hometown. Bob had been dating my sister for quite a while and was almost a family member already, so he was more than welcome at the reunion. Besides, itd been a few weeks since hed seen Arlene shed been at Continental Airlines Hostess school in Omaha and Chicago and itd been more than a few weeks since Id been home couldnt let a little thing like pneumonia keep me from going home .I had buddies to go see, pal around with, tell each other stories and drink beer. Wed left early in the morning on that spring day it wasnt that long a drive, but Bob wanted to get home spend time with his family, too. We hit Dunlap shortly after seven guess that should be Dunlap hit us shortly after seven! Hiway 30 has always been a major east/west hiway for more years than I can remember, long before they built Interstates and the only major hiway thru our hometown and across Iowa. Heading east, the concrete two-lane curves south to meet the town of Dunlap, and of course, Hiway 30 always went directly thru the heart of small towns every one of them from Chicago to Omaha actually, all the way from Atlantic City, NJ on the east to Astoria, Oregon on the west it was known as The Lincoln Highway. Dunlap was no exception instead of by-p***ing the town on the north side, the hiway crew actually made the roadway hook up with the Main Street and ran the hiway right thru the heart of the town. As the hiway came in from the west, up the hill, past the huge Catholic Church, around a left-hand corner and head north slow for the down side of the hill, up again, past Main Street and head down the long hill at the bottom of the hill Hiway 30 took an immediate hard right and ran east again it was a square cornered right and itd certainly get you if you werent paying attention. On the south side of the hiway was an open, concrete framed drainage ditch/area, about 6 feet deep, and at the bottom, a huge culvert the whole thing was large enuff to swallow a car. Just beyond that was a small truk stop/restaurant/gas station. On the north side of Hiway 30, a bit to the east of the drainage area, was a gravel county road, running southeast and dead-ending at Hiway 30. On this particular morning the sun was up and blazing Bob slowed for the turn about the time he got half-way thru the corner, the sun blinded him and he reached for the sun-visor and thats all the farther we got. The minister driving the family four-door Falcon, was in a hurry naw, he wasnt coming to the accident he was the accident. Seems his mother had p***ed away the nite before and he was hurrying to Missouri from east of Sioux City, Iowa. The sun had blinded him as well, as he drove southeast the sun glared directly into his windshield he missed seeing the stop sign, didnt see Hiway 30, and he didnt even see Bob trying to make the corner Bam! Hit the drivers side rear of the Chrysler going about 50 mph Bob corrected but the front end came around, we did a 180 and the drainage ditch swallowed the Chrysler we ended up pointing the opposite direction we were going the concrete framed ditch did major damage to the front end, hood and the p***engers side of the Chrysler. Shortly before wed gotten across the Iowa/Nebraska border, Id slipped into the back seat becuz I wasnt feeling well again I was asleep on the back seat then I wasnt on the seat anymore, I was on the floor of the car and unconscious Bob forced the door open and yelled, asking if I was OK I wasnt my head was bleeding profusely he ran to restaurant, yelled for them to call an ambulance and the Hiway Patrol. Then he went to check on the minister and his wife, neither were hurt but it certainly totaled their Falcon. I awoke in the ambulance, siren screaming, Im sure we were running at least 184 mph for the hospital the attendant held a compress to my head and asked me if I knew where I was. Huh? Where am I and why does my head hurt? Whats happened? He asked again. No, I couldnt remember a thing had no idea if I had a name or how old I was, didnt even know where we were, coming from or going to. I do remember my head hurt like someone had whacked me with a huge tire iron. The next morning I again awoke this time I knew it was a hospital, the stark white walls and the medicine smell gave it away. My head still hurt the older woman sitting next to the bed said she was my Mother told me I'd been in a car accident and that it took seventeen s***ches to close the gash made by the back seat window crank .but I still had no idea who I was, where I was or even what happened to land me in a hospital bed. I spent three days in that stark white room recuperating from the concussion. Since I didnt remember much about who I was, all I could remember was a rear window crank incident just a few years prior, when I was also asleep in the back seat of my car a 57 Chevy, a buddy and I were coming home from a friends college party, but thats all I could remember. So now Im thinkin them window cranks have it in for me for some reason! My memory came back, slowly and a parade of friends in and out of the hospital room helped. While there, they pumped a lot of penicillin into me in an effort to cure my pneumonia it worked. Needless to say, I missed the family reunion but Bob didnt. The ministers insurance took care of everything even paid me for four weeks of work although I missed only a week. The insurance anted up for Bob too, he got another Chrysler after the wreck think it was a demo, an almost new hardtop and paid him for four weeks of missed work. He kept that Chrysler for several years and when he moved to Denver shortly after I did, loaded it up with his belongings that car was one of our cruisin 16th Street rides not long after we both got settled in Denver, he took my sister out for a Sunday afternoon drive in the mountains in Clear Creek Canyon, about 35 miles from home. On another two-lane, that Chrysler got totaled. Nailed by a drunk that couldnt make a tight corner the Chrysler ended up hard against solid moutain rock, both sides of the car destroyed. Neither Bob nor my sis were hurt, but it totaled Bobs Chrysler one more time after that accident, I always said Chryslers had it in for Bob. The insurance anted up again and this time he didn't buy a Chrysler, he bought a new Plymouth. Copyright 04-04 Aden Rush/R.A. Jetter Up next: "The Coal Man" and "The Trinity Paradox"
Many thanx for all the comments...but I have one for Nekroman47... I appreciate your comment but you thot it was unusually long? That's one of my shorter stories...only 1645 words..."The Coal Man" (perhaps next week's post about a 1962 drag race) is a bit longer -- 2240 words and the(O)FNR after that..."The Trinity Paradox" (a Twilight Zone type story) comes in at over 6000 words...better bone up on your reading skills Nekroman47...or you'll be at that one a long time. R-
I've really missed the read. Glad to have them back, if only occasionally. Thanks again for sharing your talents with us.
Rocky, TMan, SKR8PN, Beatnik...thanx for the kind words...I certainly appreciate it... BTT for the Saturday evening crew... R-
Howdy RJ! Nice one...As usual! The Trinity Paradox is really good! Thats one of Rogers published short stories guys! I've read it already and its deadly! It would make an excellent movie I think. Bring 'em on Roger! Bill
hey Roger thanks alot! AGAIN!! I really appreciate that you post these for us to read. Very good story! Briggs
Hey Fraz...I KNOW they still exist...I get back there once in a while...went to GG's event in Des Moines last Fourth of July...ran all the two-lanes...some with those midwest square corners... Thanx BobK and B&S Chevelle... R-
Hey Roger!! Been real busy at work and finally got time to check in and found yet another great read. Ya did good describing our little home town Yes those bad corners are still there and people still wreck on them too. I love the way you tell a story, it makes you feel like you were riding right along with you, that takes real talent!! Oh that ride you took to the hospital was in Dunlap's first ambulance, a fire engine red 1952 Chevy panel truck, I don't know what gears it had but man it flew down the road!! Thanks again for the super read and including our little town of Dunlap!!! Keep em coming!! Bill
The Jalopy Journal
