Historic Hood River
Deposit Dime… Or Two Nickels
Notes
Everything modern will eventually be quaint. I remember the first time I saw a machine like this I thought it amazing you could get hot cocoa from a vending machine at the ice rink. Decades later I sat at Dog River Coffee watching group after group of visitors looking at this now non-functioning machine marveling at how it could possibly have worked. Where do you put the coffee beans? Paper bills? Cards?
Much has changed to make the modern seem old. Inflation has changed the value of a dime. Credit cards and electronic payments have driven coin operated machines close to extinction. Changing tastes has made the prospect of coffee from syrup unthinkable.
The Rock-ola Company dates all the way back to 1927, and still makes juke boxes from a factory in California. You can take a tour through their history here , or a less commercial version of David Rockola and his company’s history here. The coffee vending machines seem to date to the 1960s.
We can be sure our modern machines will seem this quaint in a couple of years. Enjoy this video clip for a trip back in time.
Kalley
Oh poor Archie! That was funny.
Pat A
I remember it being a Rube Goldberg deal if one thing goes wrong you’re not happy with the results. The cup not landing correctly was the worst!