Rudi Steiner remembers Bluffton in the 1950s:
For more information about "Bluffton Anthology" click here.
Rudi Steiner remembers Bluffton in the 1950s:
• On Main Street, or close to it, you could get a flattop or a perm,
try on a ladies hat,
have your foot X-rayed,
buy a 3-cent first class stamp,
purchase a Farmall tractor,
eat a hamburger,
open a Christmas savings account,
put an ad in the Bluffton News,
pick up a day-old Chicago American newspaper,
pay a fine for an overdue book,
catch a Greyhound “Scenicruiser’’ bus to Lima or Toledo,
gas up your car and even graduate from high school.
• If your cow needed shots Niswander or Herring, veterinarians,
were ready to shoot it.
There were two Dr. Basingers to pull your teeth,
three doctors to make you feel better when you were sick, and
a hospital to go to if you broke your arm or needed your tonsils removed.
• If you were a “Ford, Chevy or Buick man” Bluffton had a dealer for you.
• If you died, there were two undertakers eager to handle your funeral arrangements and
several churches ready to save your soul and get you to Heaven.
This is a sample of the content of "Bluffton Anthology - A creek runs through it." Copies are now available for $24.95 plus tax in Bluffton at:
• Roots by Strattons
• The Food Store
• The Black Lab
• Bluffton Senior Citizens Center
• The Dough Hook
• Polished
Stories Posted This Week
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Friday, October 16, 2026
- Production offers a modern take on the story of St. Clare of Assisi
- Bluffton volleyball edged in 5 by Van Buren
- Pirate girls soccer tie O-G
- October 16 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Bluffton Council recap: Officers honored for 25 years of service
- Bluffton Clean Up teams up with Troop 3256 Cub Scouts
- Ada FFA: Feeding the Farmers
- Nov. 7 Fall Community Day at Bluffton University
- Quarry Farm Nature Preserve news for Fall 2026
Thursday, October 15, 2026
- DeWine announces $200M Rural Health Transformation program award
- Herb program with Marge Lafollette, Oct. 15
- Prairie seeding activity at Bluffton University, October 24
- Food for thought: Choline for the brain
- Results for 5K on October 2, Bluffton University Homecoming event
- 15 minutes with Sherry Miller, senior center activities coordinator
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, October 14
- CANCELLED Main St. closure on October 15
- Frederick Clyde Warren founded True-2-Form Plastics
- Pirate boys soccer beats Wapak in regular season finale
- Pirate girls soccer defeats Liberty Center
- Mennonite pastor to explore ‘good news’ in creation
- Bluffton University earns recognition in U.S. News & World Report rankings
- Obituary for Deborah "Debbie" Welch, 74
- Spirits and exorcism presentation during University Spiritual Life Week Forum
- Dodging bullets: Bluffton oral history 90+ years after Dillinger robbery
- Nora Matthews named BHS Student of the Month for September 2026
- ICAPP analysis on charter status and local autonomy