Bus station

Creator

Manitowoc (Wis.). Police Department

Date

• December 1945

Summary

• This December, 1945 rooftop view looking down on the intersection of South Eighth and Franklin Streets in Manitowoc, Wisconsin shows five Safe Way Motor Coach Company buses parked around the Bus Company Building, also called the Union Bus Station, on the northwest corner at 837 South Eighth Street. The sidewalk is crowded with people, most of them women wearing winter attire. Other pedestrians cross the street as two policemen stand in the intersection, and cars are driving in both directions. In addition to the bus station, businesses in the block include, from the left, Brenner’s Furs at 831 South Eighth, the French Slipper Shop shoe store, and B. Renken & Son Cigar Manufacturers. On the Franklin Street side of the canopied bus station is the Household Finance Corporation, and beyond at 716 Franklin is the J. J. Stangel Hardware Company Automotive Department. Even though gas rationing had ended in August, 1945, this scene reflects the World War II years in Manitowoc when people relied heavily on bus transportation. The 1945 Manitowoc city directory listed four companies operating out of the bus company building: Lake Shore Transportation Company Bus Line, Green Bay Stages, Lake & Bay View Bus Lines, and Safe Way Motor Coach Line. A local resident recalled that during the war years Safe Way motor coaches operated on a twenty minute schedule, with two runs on the north side and three on the south. Some of the buses featured foam rubber seats and Mohair upholstery, but others, called “victory buses,” were austere models using wood wherever possible.