Jimmy Johnson was bigger than life and lived everyday to its fullest. He is best known in San Antonio, Texas for founding and operating the South's Finest Amusement Park, Playland Park at the corner of Alamo and Broadway streets for almost 40 years. Few people realize that before the park, there was Western Equipment & Supply Company in Chicago and later Western Products and then the Chicago Patent Corportaion.
Jimmy left it all in 1941 and relocated to San Antonio. The coin machine business was closed and the factory converted to a precision screw machine plant which was sold in 1980.
As coin machine collectors there is a chance that you might have information that I do not. There are two games produced by Western that I cannot find any advertising containing photographs in Billboard Magazine...the only reference I have outside the Jimmy's personal effects. Those two games are:
Golfmore and
Should you have any information about Western Equipment & Supply Company or Western Products that you would like to share for publication, contact me by clicking on the blue mail box at the bottom of this page.
The book will be a limited edition of 100 numbered and signed copies. If you are interested in notification when the book is published, send me an email and I will add your name to the list.
As planned the publication will be soft cover perfect bound. Number of pages has not been determined as more information is being acquired almost on a daily basis.
Thank you!
Ed Gaida
Gee Whiz.
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