Cruisin’ the Gut During the Cold War- Downtown Battle Creek 1953
See downtown Battle Creek teeming with traffic and doing brisk business in this 1953 video of downtown.
An 8mm film transfer found on YouTube is a 2 minute trip back more than 60 years to the Cereal City. You will recognize the skyline with the twin skyscrapers of the Battle Creek and Heritage Towers less than 25 years old- still standing today.
W.K. Kellogg had passed away in 1951 but his namesake company introduced what would become staples for generations of American families as Frosted Flakes, Corn Pops, Cocoa Krispies, Honey Smacks and Special K all hit store shelves for the first time in the 1950s.
All the stores were downtown as the idea of a "mall" was a futuristic concept- almost as far out as the double feature 'The Flying Saucer' and 'Atomic Monster' you can see on the marquee of Battle Creek's Michigan Ave. movie theater. Disney's animated Peter Pan would debut in 1953, the same year Chevrolet introduced the Corvette and Hugh Hefner the girl next door. Everyone loved Lucy as 68% of all television sets in the United States are tuned in to I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth. Cruise back in history to a simpler time and see how Battle Creek looked to your great great (great?) grandparents.