Comments for America Comes Alive

Comment on Buster Brown Shoes and Mary Janes by Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:40:01 +0000

Thank you for posting… your information is quite fascinating! I have no way of knowing if Stephen Wolfe will see it, but I hope so. Good luck.

Kate

Comment on Buster Brown Shoes and Mary Janes by Codi Preston D.

Codi Preston D. — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:22:59 +0000

Stephen Wolfe, from the December 2022 comment, if you are still reading this post and it’s comments, I’d absolutely love to hear your stories on Buster Brown shoes in the 1980s! I’ve been collecting vintage children’s T strap shoes and Mary Janes from the 1970s to mid 1990s for 30 years now (I just turned 50). I have Classic Autism and ADHD. I actually wore a Buster Brown “Sharky” shoe (from the Jaws craze) in 1979 when I was 3 years old. It was probably labeled as tan colored, but I would definitely call it pumpkin orange leather. It had a wedge rubber sole. Had a black colored shark imprint (Buster Brown Shoes called it a “tattoo”) on the side. The shoes had a very intense look, with the orange leather. I never wore T strap shoes or Mary Janes though. In the Deep South like Alabama, little boys wear T strap shoes with their longalls and jon jons. I’m from the West Coast, so I never saw little boys dressed like that, but I have friends who are moms in the South that do dress their sons like that. Very hard to find now, I mean T strap shoes. There are several companies in Spain that still make T strap shoes. The children’s shoe industry in the USA went downhill 25 years ago, there are hardly any high quality children’s T strap shoes or Mary Janes made here anymore. Another brand that I wore as a preschooler in 1979-1980 was Jumping Jacks. They made really good leather shoes for children too. Very few people remember the brands I remember – Stride Rite, Buster Brown, and Jumping Jacks are more memorable, but few people remember Lazy Bones, Willits, Mother Goose, Walk In, Child Stride, Walk-in and other brands. You can email me at preston1632@yahoo.com, if you are interested in talking. I can give you my cellphone too once you email me if you are interested in talking through that way.

Take care

Codi Preston D. from Northern California

Comment on The Story of Cigar Store Indians by Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Thu, 28 May 2026 12:55:00 +0000

In reply to HistoryBuff. You make an excellent point. Perhaps my article should have taken into acount the broader cultural impact. However, the fact that the carvings began in England in the 1600s signaled to me that it was more gimmick than slander. The continued use of the cigar store Indians during the 19th century would not have been helpful. Your point is well made. Thank you for taking the time to add context.

Comment on The Story of Cigar Store Indians by HistoryBuff

HistoryBuff — Wed, 27 May 2026 23:19:49 +0000

The “Cigar Store Indian” is deeply problematic because it represents a form of structural exploitation. It reduces a holy, ceremonial medicine (tobacco), into a shallow marketing gimmick to sell an addictive consumer product.
More dark is the historical timing: these statues peaked during the 19th century, when the US government was violently displacing Indigenous peoples, taking their land, and outlawing their languages and religious ceremonies. The dominant society was actively trying to eliminate living Native Americans while using a silent, romanticized wooden version of them to turn a profit.
Ultimately, these statues flattened hundreds of unique, sovereign nations into a single caricature of the primitive “Noble Savage.” By framing Indigenous peoples as static relics of the past, the statues helped the public ignore the ongoing realities of living communities, turning human identity into commercial property. Further, the fact that many carvers never actually saw a native in person, but used exaggerated portrayals and blended completely unrelated tribal elements—combining Plains-style feathered war bonnets with Woodlands-style buckskins or stylized, Europeanized facial features, shows just how detached from reality this imagery truly was and it cannot be defended as innocent or a tribute but only as a moniker.

Comment on The Triple Nickles: Army’s First Black Paratroopers by Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Tue, 26 May 2026 14:29:48 +0000

In reply to Walter Rogers Jr.

Thank you for your interest. The men who first became the Triple Nickles were kitchen staff and maintenance workers—the work the military thought was appropriate for Black men. They came into the military under the qualifications issued in October of 1940 under the War Department Mobilization Regulations No. 1-9 (MR 1-9. These men volunteered to teach themselves to be paratroopers on their own time, and they more than proved themselves capable.
Height and Weight: Recruits had to be between 5 feet (60 inches) and 6 feet 6 inches (78 inches) tall, and weigh a minimum of 105 pounds. Weight was primarily used to screen for wasting diseases like tuberculosis.
The 12-Tooth Rule: A GI was required to have a minimum of 12 functional teeth—specifically, 6 opposing chewing teeth in the back and 6 opposing incisors in the front—so they could physically masticate tough Army field rations.
Vision and Hearing: Vision had to be at least 20/100 in each eye without glasses, provided it could be corrected with spectacles to 20/40 in the better eye. Hearing required detecting a whispered voice from 15 feet away.
General Health: The physical was essentially a mass screening to rule out organic diseases, severe mental disorders, or physical deformities (like severe flat feet or hernias) that would prevent a soldier from marching.
After the men proved themselves, all enlistees coming in to be paratroopers had more stringent physical qualifications.

Comment on The Triple Nickles: Army’s First Black Paratroopers by Walter Rogers Jr

Walter Rogers Jr — Tue, 26 May 2026 03:24:04 +0000

What was the qualification for the Black airborne unit? Age, weight, height, IQ, education etc., etc. etc.

Comment on The American Barn: A Disappearing American Icon by Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Thu, 14 May 2026 13:54:14 +0000

In reply to douglas edward gunderson.

Thank you! And yes Eric Sloane’s books are fabulous, aren’t they? I, too, loved the illustrations…And for you, the memories are priceless! It sounds great. Thank you for posting!

Kate

Comment on The Story of Cigar Store Indians by Kate Kelly

Kate Kelly — Thu, 14 May 2026 13:47:28 +0000

In reply to Barbrajane0116@gmail.com. Thanks for posting.

Comment on The Story of Cigar Store Indians by Barbrajane0116@gmail.com

Barbrajane0116@gmail.com — Wed, 13 May 2026 00:50:03 +0000

I am so excited to learn this history I I would like to read more information…back in time. Late 1800 thru early 1900 people had to quit school to get a job so they wouldn’t starve…seeing these indian carvings and the barber shop colors gave them relief..when going in store…

Comment on The American Barn: A Disappearing American Icon by douglas edward gunderson

douglas edward gunderson — Tue, 12 May 2026 15:55:11 +0000

I’m just re reading my Eric SLoane books. 1. Museum of early american tools and 2.American barns and covered bridges, richly illustrated by author.

and remembering the days of my youth growing up on a 11.5 acre farm north of Chicago, yes, we had a very legit barn, putting up hay in the haymow with the tractor assist. plenty of strange out buildings, granery, out houses, chicken coop, etc. what a magnificent life it was! my dad had a full time factory job so my brothers did a lot of the work. 7 kids.SO MANY MEMORIES> thanks for the beautiful website DG SD CA.