Twin Pines Divco Truck

[Ed Golick]

Here's a story about a recently restored Twin Pines Divco milk truck. Nick Tisch, the truck's owner, plans to visit all of the car shows this season, and will give you a ride in it if you ask politely.
http://detroitkidshow.com/twin_pines_truck.htm

[Mikeg]

My dad's third cousin had a Twin Pines route and he used to deliver to our house in Center Line during the 1950s and 60s. If we weren't home, he'd leave our order in the milk chute next to our side door but if we were, he'd come inside and place it on the floor near the refrigerator while we chatted. During the hottest part of the summer, us kids would hit him up for some chips of ice from the back of of his truck. Our cousin's brother also had a Twin Pines route in the Warren area during that same time period. Both of them had their own Divco trucks and I can remember back in the early 1960s seeing all the new trucks at the Divco plant on Hoover Rd. as my mom drove me to my weekly music lessons.

[Maof]

I'm almost sure this was the truck i saw parked in the former Wild Woody's on Gratiot last summer and couldn't turn fast enough into the parking lot to check it out. Even my 15 year old son thought it was cool.

[daddeeo]

Does it look like this?

[Ed Golick]

Maof,
There are only two restored Twin Pines trucks. One is Nick's and the other is in a museum in Port Huron.

[EMG]

When I was growing up in the '60s and '70s I lived in the I-94 and Cadieux area and we had a milk chute and home delivery from Twin Pines. And before Twin Pines, I even remember we had home delivery from Sealtest. We got not only milk, but half-and-half and butter and perhaps other products as well, in these deliveries.

I believe the Twin Pines warehouse was located on Outer Drive near Lappin. Just about immediately east of the curve between the Polish Century Club and Holy Cross Hospital.

[Lorax]

We had regular deliveries of Twin Pines and Sealtest products in Grosse Pointe in the 60's. When you think back how times have changed, I really think we had a better sense of community with local products, which employed local people, and benefitted businesses based locally.

This is the real secret behind getting back to a default position in the way we think of community, when we know the choices we make have local impact.

Thinking about it, we really had more retail choices, and better quality ones until the "one global economy" took over.

[reddog289]

I saw the truck at Autorama.When did Twin Pines go out of bussiness? I used to drink it at school in the mid 80,s. Got into a fight when someone poked a hole in Milkys face and spilled my milk. Nice Job on that truck.

[FlyingJ]

GREAT book about a driveaway guy who drove DIVCO's from Warren to out here[[they used 'em for Helms Bakery Trucks) he wasn't blown away by DIVCO's when they were factory-new...maybe they need to sit in an Ohio field for 30 years;
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book...king-for-Wages

Helms;
http://www.lilesnet.com/memories/past/helms.htm

[Hardhat]

Is that Milky the Twin Pines Magic Clown in the photo?
Was his catch phrase, "Just keep smiling," I have a vague memory of his picture and that slogan on Twin Pines [[paper) milk cartons. Can anyone confirm?

[Eastside]

This thread brings back some good memories. A friend of mine owned a DIVCO in the early 70's and he painted it flat brown. Believe it or not three of us drove that truck from Port Huron to Daytona Beach over spring break. Top speed was 45 MPH. Needless to say it was a leisurely non-stop trip. One of the cool things about that truck was the ability to drive it while standing up. The driver's seat swung out of the way allowing you to stand. The back of his truck was converted into a sleeping area and we rotated driving duties while someone slept. Definitely received a lot of looks on the road.

[grumpyoldlady]

We lived on Wayburn between Morang and Casino. Our milk was delivered by Rosebud Creamery..in a Divco truck, of course.

[Ed Golick]

Hardhat,
That is indeed Milky in the photo, but I think you have your catch phrases confused. Milky's catch phrase was "What's the magic word? Twin Pines!" Bozo's was "Just keep laughing!"
You can read all about Milky here.
http://www.detroitkidshow.com/Clare_Cummings.htm

[Angry Dad]

The guys that did this truck seemed to have the most fun at Autorama. They were stuck out in the back but they did generate the most smiles.

It was refreshing to see somebody having and causing fun at a car show. Most of the people that get caught doing that are banished to the land of small trophies. I ought to know.

[Sludgedaddy]

I grew up in the Six and Van Dyke area of Detroit. As an young lad, I worked as a "jumper" on many of those Twin Pines Divcos. The East Side Yard [[ One on the West Side, too, I believe) was located at the big bend on E. Outer Drive near Holy Cross Hospital.

Kids would arrive at the yard early around five am. looking for a chance to make some spare coinage.The drivers would often pick the biggest kids or the ones that appeared to be the most awake.The jumpers job was to deliver the dairy orders as pointed out by the driver to their alloted houses.The pay was paltry, but the jumper could eat and drink his fill of those wonderful Twin Pines products [[even potato chips and dip)

I worked on a regular basis with a Mr. John Brooks who was an owner operator of his route as many were. Lots of Italian names like Tringali owned those routes.

Often times the driver would take an unusually long time inside one of his customers homes. When this occurred, I was usually instructed to help myself the the merchandise and to watch the truck. At that tender age of 13, I knew very little of the ways and means some of those driver's "collected" on what was owed them. A lot of kids born in the 1960's bear a slight resemblence to Milky the Clown rather than their father.

Honing up on learning to drive, I would mess around with the truck's mechanics while the boss was "occupied". Lots of fun going a few feet forward and back while standing up and operating the clutch and brake, which was on the same floor pedal.

Hamtramck's own Incredible Mohawk Brothers put out a song entitled "Milkman's Son" and it is an ode to the Twin Pines Milkman.

Unfortunately, crime and urban decline put an end to "Worry Free Home Delivery".

[Ragtoplover59]

Attachment 1251 Not a Twin Pines, But still cool

[Angry Dad]

You know these days the UPS and Fed Ex trucks are the replacement for the milk trucks.

Bet the drivers hate that the trucks they drive so many times have GPS tracking.

I remember when I drove and old independent ice cream truck. Too bad for me I had too many morals.

[reddog289]

Milkys mug was on the cartons,at least the ones we got at school.

[clermont]

i remember Milky. But who is Pierre, the guy who appears to have a baguette, in the photo?

[Ed Golick]

Pierre assisted Milky with the games. He is holding a balloon.

[Mikeg]

The book "Poletown: Community Betrayed" has this photo of a Twin Pines milkman in his Divco truck while making a delivery in a Detroit neighborhood.

[jgavrile]

back in the 40's and 50's We had Twin Pines, in Highland Park. They used a Divco truck. A delivery man named Carl Norlene. The milk use to overflow the cap in the winter if you let it sit on the porch too long. Also I remember before they had homogenized, and the cream would be at the top.
The people next door had Sealtest ,and they still were using horses. His horse would stop just in our driveway entrance and it would usualy take a crap at the entrance of our driveway. My Dad would inveriably drive through it and pull up to the porch. Sitting on the porch in the summer with horse crap on your tires didn't smell too good. My Dad had words with the milkman to clean up after his horse if he took a dump in front of our drive.I remember him telling the Sealtest milkman to get into the 20th century, get rid of the horse, and buy a Divco truck.

[reddog289]

Funny thing about horse drawn delivery men . My U ncle who was born in 1952 tells me about the horse drawn carts the milkman , sheeny, and etc had. I do remember the funny {DIVCO} trucks that were around when I was a kid. I might have told the milkman to get a Divco if he was using a horse in the 50,s/60,s/.

[kathy2trips]

When I was growing up in the '60s and '70s I lived in the I-94 and Cadieux area and we had a milk chute and home delivery from Twin Pines. And before Twin Pines, I even remember we had home delivery from Sealtest. We got not only milk, but half-and-half and butter and perhaps other products as well, in these deliveries.

I believe the Twin Pines warehouse was located on Outer Drive near Lappin. Just about immediately east of the curve between the Polish Century Club and Holy Cross Hospital.

Yep! We had a milk chute, too, at I-94 and Moross. When my parents moved to Warren, they had Twin Pines there, too. The milkman's name was George and he'd have to ring the bell; no milk chutes in Warren! He was our milkman for 18 years.

We also went to the dairy once, with my Girl Scout Troop. Though I don't know if that would be the location you mentioned. I was born at Holy Cross, and I'm sure my mom would have mentioned that we were near there.

Good times, people!

[East Detroit]

Pointe Dairy has a Divco truck.

http://www.pointedairy.com/photos.htm