Kathleen Mikkelsen of Mennonite Memorial Home provided this classic photo to The Icon. It shows Ralph Diller, operator of Brilliant Bronze gasoline station, a product of Johnson Oil Co. The photo was taken between 1938-40.
The station was located on the site of today's Bluffton Dari Freeze at the corner of South Main and Bentley.
There are several items to examiine in this photo. The price of gas is 10 cents, 5 cents for tax, totalling 15 cents (per gallon?). Notice the "contains lead" labels.
From time to time a photo completely stumps the experts. We've passed this snapshot on to our panel of distinguised "We knew every one in Bluffton circa 1900-1961." No one on our panel - including Charles Hilty, Rudi Steiner, Richard Jordan - can identify this man. Paul Diller took the photo in the late 1940s-early 1950s on Main Street.
Icon viewers are welcome to offer suggestions on this mystery guy.
Ed Rice, one-time Bluffton business owner, posed for this photo taken by Paul Diller sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s. Rice's Tot Shop, was owned by Ed and his wife, Ethlyne.
The Rice family later sold the shop to a the Reichenbachs-Steiners-Lehmans, and the shop became Reistman's. Later the shop was sold to Paul and Jan Snyder, who operated it as Jan's. Today the Bluffton News is located in the former Rice Tot Shop.
Here's a familiar face to Bluffton High School students who took driver's ed in high school, and chemistry in high school during the 1950s and 1960s. It's Wilford Geiger, also a partner in the Geiger and Diller men's store once-upon-a-time on Main Street.
He also lead a pretty mean cheer during homecoming pep sessions.
Paul Diller took this photo of Wilford "don't put the zinc in the sink" Geiger in the early 1950s.
Here's Hiram Kohli in his classic baseball catcher's position. Paul Diller took this photo with the series of Main Street business men. Here's some observations from Charles Hilty about this photo:
Hiram Kohli was an excellent baseball player. He was Ziggy Burcky's catcher in college days and played later on good sand lot teams. I think that A. C. and Hiram used to have a nostalgic game of pitch and catch every spring down on the old college baseball diamond.
Once-time Bluffton businessman Bill Edwards (father of Scott and Roger), shows off on a bone-shaker bicycle. Paul Diller took this photo in the early 1950s. It is part of The Icon's series of Main Street businessmen's photos by Diller from that era.
The photo was taken on Vine Street in front of what is today Jeanne's Kitchen.
