Is That John Dillinger Buried In John Dillinger's Grave?-- Part 1

From the November 30, 2019, Chicago Sun-Times "Cemetery seeks to keep body in Dillinger's grave"by John Seidel.

"When it comes to whether the body inside 1930s gangster John Dillinger's grave will actually be exhumed, Indianapolis' Crown Hill Cemetery says it has the last word.

"And the cemetery says it refuses to open the grave for 'a decades-old conspiracy theory that Dillinger was not, in fact, shot and killed by the FBI, properly identified by his family or buried at Crown Hill in 1934.' "

But, the case might ultimately be decided by a judge.

Meanwhile, the Indiana State Department of Health has given approval for the exhumation to move forward on New Year's Eve.

Two of Dillinger's descendants made national news this past summer when they said they had evidence that the person fatally shot outside Chicago's Biograph Theater on July 22, 1934, may not have been Dillinger.

--Cooter

Indianapolis' Crown Hill Cemetery-- Part 3: Still More Racing Folks Buried There

Drivers George Amick, Erwin "Cannonball" Baker,  and Tony Bettenhausen, Jr.

Floyd Davis, Jimmy Drywalt, Ronnie Duman, Jerry Hoyt.

Jim Hurtbise, Herbert Jones, Chet Miller and Paul Russo.

Harry C. Stutz, owner of the Stutz Auto Company.

Also, Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger.

--Cooter

Indianapolis' Crown Hill Cemetery-- Part 2: Others With IMS Ties Buried There

From Wikipedia.

Captain Joseph Hammond, RAF in World War I, was killed in an air race in 1918 and buried in Carl Fisher's mausoleum.

Early Indy-based auto manufacturer Daniel Marmon of Nordyke Marmon & Company.  The first Indy 500 race in 1911 was won by a Marmon Wasp car.

David M. Parry, founder of the Parry Auto Company.

Charles H. Black and Frank P. Fox, Indy driver and owner of the Pope Motor Car Company

Auto company partners and brothers Walter C. Marmon and Howard Marmon.

Auto industrialists August Duesenberg and Frederick S. Duesenberg.

And, Even More to Come.  --DaCoot

Seven Secret Indy 500 Remnants-- Part 11: Grave of the "Canonball"

GRAVE OF ERWIN GEORGE "CANNON BALL" BAKER (1882-1960):  CROWN HILL CEMETERY, 700 W. 38TH STREET, SECTION 60, LOT 150.

Baker won the first motorized race ever held at the the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motorcycle race on August 14, 1909.  The new track's unusual surface, a combination of "asphaltum oil" and crushed limestone proved treacherous to rubber tires.  of the 30 riders who started the race, only four finished.  And, it was just a four lap sprint.  Baker went on to win 52 more races.

Baker is best-known for his record-setting cross-country runs.  In 1914, he went from San Diego to New York on an Indian motorcycle in 11 days, 11 hours and 11 minutes -- 3,379 miles, only four of them on paved roads.  He beat the previous record by nine days.

--DaCootBike

Seven Secret Indy 500 Remnants-- Part 9: Umbrella Mike's Garage

Boyle's chief mechanic was the vaunted Harry "Cotton" Henning, whose brother (this is beside the point of being an interesting point in itself) was the TV visionary Paul Henning.  Paul Henning dreamed up the 1960s sitcoms "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Petticoat Junction" and was executive producer of "Green Acres."

The garage is basically a pile of bricks now, but a nonprofit group has come together to try to restore it.  Progress has been made.  the asbestos and other environmental hazards have been cleared away from the site, and earlier this month some 300 people attended a fundraiser that raised $60,000 for the effort.

For more information on the restoration project go to www.indianalandmarks.org.

--DaCootGarage

Seven Secret Indy 500 Remnants-- Part 8: Umbrella Mike's Garage

UMBRELLA MIKE'S GARAGE, 1701 GENT STREET.

After decades of neglect this building had deteriorated badly, but in the 1920s and 1930s it was the headquarters of one of the most successful racing teams in Indianapolis 500 history, the Boyle Racing Team.  The boss was "Umbrella" Mike Boyle, a shadowy labor leader from Chicago who twice did prison time, once for jury fixing, once for violating an anti-trust law.

Motorsports website Speedway Sightings said that Boyle "walked the fine line between crooked politicians and the Chicago Mob."

Still, his was a top-notch race team, employing as its driver the great Wilbur Shaw, a three-time Indy winner.

--CooterMob

Seven Secret Indy 500 Remnants-- Part 6: White Front Tavern

WHITE FRONT, 3535 W. 16TH STREET

Here is where racing people of yore hunkered down after a day at the track and hoisted a beer or six.  Bill Vukovich, A.J. Watson, Bobby Unser and on-and-on.

Here A,J, Foyt, who is a four-time Indy 500 champion, but was not good at drinking, once was tricked into downing too many screwdrivers and ended up tossing his cookies (though possibly not until he got back to his motel room).

The place is no longer the White Front.  It is now Club Venus, a gentleman's club.  It is windowless and dark.  From the outside, the old building is practically unchanged, but the only trace of the interior of the venerable watering hole is in the men's room, where the old ceramic-style cinderblock walls are still out in the open and look just like they did when the great Foyt either hurled there or didn't.

Not Me.  --Cooter

Seven Secret Indy 500 Remnants-- Part 5: Actors Wore Hinchmans for Movies

Hollywood got the Hinchmans when Steve McQueen filmed "LeMans," he wore won.  And when Elvis Presley made the movie "Speedway" he was also wearing one.

The last Hinchman involved in the business was Lew, the son of J.B., who sold the company in 1998 to two employees.  One of them, Nancy Chumbley, still operates the company, but in a new location on Gasoline Alley on Indianapolis' Westside.

Today Hinchman no longer outfits most Indy racers, but there are still a few.  This year, Alex Tagliani will wear a Hinchman retro job made to resemble the one A.J. Foyt wore decades ago: black with a red stripe across the chest.

Hinchman also sells replicas of its earlier suits.  You can get one of McQueen's "LeMans" one for just $1,999.

Reckon I'll take a Pass On It.  --DaCootTooBroke

Centennial of Indy 500 This Month-- Part 2: And, I'll Be There

Barney Oldfield continued:  "The track was built with this idea in view. (To test driving skill and car stamina.)  Consequently, instead of two great ends with uniform curving, the track is four-cornered, with four straight curves and a short straightaway between the two corners that go to make up each end.  This cuts down the average speed, but it makes for thrilling racing."

Racing at the Indy track has led to engineering breakthroughs that are in your family vehicle such as disc brakes, independent suspension, high-mileage radial tires and fuel-injection.

I have been to this race the last five years.  We sit high above the track in what is called the catwalk between the 1st and 2nd turns.

Always a Great Time.  --DaVroomer

Centennial of the Indy 500 This Month-- Part 1: From 100 MPH to 230 MPH

From the May/June Saturday Evening Post.

In 1925, when the top speed of a Model T was 45 mph, retired racing pioneer Barney Oldfield, the first man to break the 60 mph speed barrier, wrote in the pages of the Saturday Evening Post of how exciting it was to see cars at the Indy track exceeding 100 mph.

Of course, today you can even go faster than 100 mph in your own car.  At this year's 100th running of the the Indy 500 (and I'll be at it) the winner will be traveling nearly 230 mph.

It is still a hard race.  Back in the September 26, 1925, issue of the Saturday Evening Post, Oldfield wrote: "Conditions at the Indianapolis track are such that they demand driving skill and car stamina, as well as speed."

Vroom! Vroom!  --CootFaster

Mates' White Front Bar-- Part 2: Piston Ash Trays

George and Violet Mates began their bar and restaurant shortly after the end of Prohibition and it soon became a favorite of race car drivers, crews and fans.  A.J. Foyt and the Unser brothers among others were regulars during the month of May.  A lot of Indy 500 winners would come into the place to celebrate their victories.

They had huge crowds all month long every May.  They were even closed down on occasion for having too many people.

Not only were the drinks reasonable, but the food was very good and fairly inexpensive, even for back then.  The interviewer mentioned a T-bone dinner for $3 and fillet-mignon for $2.75.  Bill Vuckovich, Sr, was from eastern Europe and they used to make up European food for him.

George ran the bar and Violet the kitchen.  George was also well aware of self promotion and would give the racers and their crews free tee shirts and if they wore them at the track, they'd also get a free dinner.  Those tee shirts are much sought after these days.

Another collectible George made was the ash trays he had on the bar.  He made them out of pistons, set them on the bar and had to keep a watchful eye so that no one walked out with them.  They sold for $30-$40 even back in the 1950s.

One famous guest at the grand opening of the second Mates' White Front was Groucho Marx.

The bar, however, was forced to close because of a misunderstanding over the books and later became the strip club located at the site today.

--DaCoot

Mates' White Front Historic Bar Was Frequented By Indy 500 Drivers-- Part 1

I came across an interesting article in the May 23, 2015, Indianapolis Star newspaper "Indy 500 drivers loved Mates' White Front" about a historic place near the Speedway called Mates' White Front Bar and Restaurant.  Many times you could go there after a race and racing times and meet drivers.

It was established originally in 1935 by George and Violet Mates at another site which featured the entire front painted white and moved to 3535 W. 18th Street in September 1952 and was run by their sons Mike and Nick in the 1950s and 1960s.  It continued to be called White Front even though it was never painted white like the original.

The newspaper had pictures and one was of a menu showing the price of a cheeseburger and pork tenderloin at 45 cents.

The second building still stands, but is a strip club today called Club Venus.

I sure wish this bar was still there as I would definitely make sure I visited it.  Kind of like a racing Tootsie's Pink Orchid Lounge in Nashville.

Drink One for the Race.  --Cooter

Lots of History At That Old Track

I just got back from my fourth Indy 500 trip a few hours ago.  And there is a lot of history associated with the venue.

Carl Fisher was instrumental in its founding as he wanted a place to safely test the fairly new and growing American love affair with automobiles.  I am sure he could never have envisioned this past weekend in even his wildest dreams.

Of course, if there was ever a man of "No Small Dreams," that would be Carl Fisher.  Not only was the Speedway one of his things, but also the Lincoln Highway, Dixie Highway, Miami Beach and, I believe Montauk somewhere in the northeast.

If I recall, without looking it up, the first ran here in 1909, but the famed Indy 500 race did not begin until a few years later.  As a matter of fact, this next one will be a real biggie as it is the 100th Running of what they call the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

That Is Going to Be SOME Party.  --Cooter