Stingray bike in front of Ryan-Evans Drugstore in the 1960s, Phoenix, Arizona


This photo, from the 1960s, is one of my favorite "slice of life" images that I have found of Phoenix. It's in front of the Ryan-Evans Drugstore, which was on the northeast corner of 10th Street and McDowell. The photo was originally taken to show the billboard which was on top of the building, but I zoomed in with Photoshop, focused on the people, and cropped out the rest.

Of course, I have no idea who these people are, but I'm thinking that that was one lucky kid, if that's his Stingray bike, which was the coolest bike a kid could have at time. And the man leaning there might look like he is holding a cell phone, but they wouldn't be invented for another thirty years, and he is just touching his chin. And hopefully keeping an eye on that bike!

I found this photo on the Duke University Library website, where they have posted a lot of images of advertising. Every once in a while I peruse the site, and with the help of my PhD (Phoenix History Detective) friends, and some good clues (like this street sign!) I can usually figure out exactly where the photo was taken.

Like all of my history adventuring, there is really no point to this. I'm not writing a book, or anything like that, I'm just time-traveling. And with a photo like this one, I really can step back into 1960s Phoenix.
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Comments

  1. Arizona NativeApril 3, 2019 at 9:33 AM

    There was also one on the S/E corner of 7th Ave and McDowell.

    ReplyDelete

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