Sepia Saturday 82 - 9 July

Sepia Saturday for the week of 9 July through 15 July!  Hope you enjoy this!

Welcome to Sepia Saturday …I found my way to Platform 2 as Alan suggested ( his humor is great!) …but I couldn’t arrive with as spectacular or astonishing of a photo as Alan selected for our theme this week, (he has no hidden agenda, just a remarkable photo)….But that photo led me to these three…..

What I found so striking with his photo .....were the police officers standing near the bright beams of golden sunlight in Union Station, Chicago. 

So I present to you, officers at work……

Courtesy of the Minneapolis Public Library and Minnesota Historical Society- with a photo of a tough day on the job for these officers responding to a call in Robbinsdale, Minnesota.....

An officer wakes up eats a substantial breakfast puts on their uniform and proudly displays a badge of honor as they walk out the door never knowing for sure what the day will bring.  This 5th day of September 1937 brought the loss of lives and quite a predicament for the owners of this house in Robbinsdale.  If you research 1937 there was something in the air, or rather falling from the air because 1937 had all sorts of air craft crashes.
One famous crash was when Amelia Earhart's plane had engine problems on Ford Island in March 1937 which set her famous flight back.  She survived that crash, only to (crash and sink?) at Howland Island a few short months later on July 2, and she was never seen again.  Her disappearance is still a mystery today.

and so life in the big city for a police officer could be rather...entertaining....as well

Police stood watch over a a victory caravan parade of sorts in Minneapolis on Washington Avenue.  Although it's a happy affair, the faces and expressions on the people in the crowd don't seem to me like a victory parade at all.  The time was 1942, and life was fairly good in Minnesota.  The war was making heavy demands for iron ore and the Minnesota mines surpassed all previous production levels.  Farmers were producing record crops, people were eating well and Duluth was a center for shipbuilding and commerce was proceeding.  Post-war legislation for veterans made college educations and home ownership much more widely available then ever before.  Life was good, so what is the story here folks?

and the life of a law enforcement official could take them on dangerous missions with tear gas and firearms as their constant companion like this time in 1934...

-Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society.

The men in blue were summoned to a riot taking place in Minneapolis at the Market District where a strike by Teamsters against most of the trucking companies operating in Minneapolis (began on May 16, 1943) had suddenly broken out and this violence ensued periodically throughout the summer.  It did eventually pave the way for organization for over the road trucking and the growth of  the Teamster Labor Union.

But a day of struggle could change quickly into something more refreshing...

On May 2, 1955 the Pioneer Press Newspaper ran and exciting piece -- catching police action on a rainy day as uniformed girls from Our Lady of Peace High School swiftly marched holding a long rope which formed a human rosary in front of the Cathedral.  While other students marched behind in perfect rhythm and formation.  It's believed that since nuns could be very persuasive in all areas besides teaching it was a sure thing that the entire class was well organized ... but, still the friendly law officers were on hand if needed. - Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society

Thanks for following along with me again, for another Sepia Saturday, and remember it's open until next Saturday when another new theme hits the platform or the roadway.....and if you want to add your own old or sepia photos...with Alan's theme or not....just go here
http://sepiasaturday.blogspot.com/2011/07/sepia-saturday-82-saturday-9th-july.html