Old Bradenton Road used to border the Airport on the east. Between OBR and the railroad tracks, and running from 58th Street to County Line Road was a community of modest homes. Sally Bunch ran a little restaurant around 61st Street, and a couple of blocks north, Gus Casillo ran a bar. There was a little neighborhood grocery store in the mix as well. At OBR and Countly Line Road, was Byrds Junk yard, and across the street a fellow named Shorty Allan had a garage. Where CLR met 301,(now W Univ. Blvd.), Al Lombardi ran an Amoco Station. Als son Guy, owned and operated University Motors for thirty years, before his untimely death three years ago. I tossed a lot of papers in that neighborhood as an adolescent......University Blvd. runs on a NE/SW diagonal and hooks up with DeSoto Road, just NE of the Dog Track. Many of you Old Timers may remember how those lakes along that stretch of University originated. For you new comers, heres the story. From the 40s, through the 50s, and maybe into the 60s, that area was a mine. Dolomitic Limestone was dynamited and the rubble scooped up by draglines. It was then crushed and dried in a huge rotating kiln. After processing, it was loaded onto frieght cars and sold as a fertiizer additive. We used to go down 58th street to where it dead-ended at the tracks, then take a path to the first lake. Spring fed and crystal clear, it was a great swimming hole. Kids from all over the place spent many a hot summer day there. It was a favorite spot from folks from Newtown to bring their cane poles and get pan fish.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 22:44:02 +0000
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