Leo,
I know the old Aurora News Agency building that was next door to the Beacon
News building on South River Street at one time was a meat packing plant.
After the ANA shut down operations that building became part of River Street
Press, that's the printing company that I took the BRHS account to back in the
day. I know River Street Press made changes inside the old ANA building but
when it was ANA the meat lockers were still out on the loading dock area.
I worked for the ANA from 1977-1981. One Saturday morning it was in the
winter time I was backing in the big Ford truck over the tracks at the rear of
the loading dock. I got stuck on the tracks due to ice and snow on the ground,
that truck had the 460 V8 under the hood drop an ice cube out there in July
and it would get stuck, I took the bottom of the door off with the top of the
box. One of the guys dropped the door and of course since this was a box truck
I didn't see the door coming down. Opps! At that time I believe the only
industry left still getting cars on the Alley Job was the Beacon News.
I seem to remember many years ago a company that was located at the other
end of Middle Ave., the Q Candy Company. As the story went, the Q Candy Company
was named as the owners were heading to Quincy IL to open the company. The
RIO truck they had broke down here in Aurora. So they thought Aurora would be
just as good as Quincy to open the business. At that time my Grandfather
Martin Johnson owned the RIO Truck dealership in Aurora. Grandpa Johnson
around
1959 moved the gas station from the corner of Benton and River Street, to
Garfield, changed from an Esso Dealer to Mobile. Next door to the station was
the
old EJ&E Freight House. Of course today that's all an open field where at
one time the plans were to build the new YWCA that was finally built on South
River Street.
One afternoon Grandma was looking out the window of her office and saw me
climbing off an EJ&E switcher as I got my first cab ride...... At the time I
lived on South Highland Ave. and used to ride my bike down the street to watch
the J switch out the old Equipto Warehouse and the foundry that was behind the
houses across the street from our house. Mom found out before I got home
where I was......
Loren Johnson
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