871 E. 9th South

The Cosmic Aeroplane first opened its doors in June 1967 near the corner of Ninth East and Ninth South in Salt Lake City:

The Cosmic Aeroplane at 851 East Ninth South — Scan from a 35mm slide, courtesy of Sherm Clow.

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See the entire historical photograph as a scaleable PDF file.

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1967 was known for the “Summer of Love,” and the rapid spread of an alternative culture known as “The Movement.”

Announcement of the Cosmic Aeroplane’s Grand Opening on June 9, 1967 — Courtesy of Steve Jones and Charley Hafen.

Among their early friends was popular late night disc-jockey Michael G. Kavanagh, who mentioned this very hip shop in the context of his own visit to Haight/Ashbury during 1967’s Summer of Love, and while he was playing the latest music out of San Francisco on AM and FM Radio in the hours after midnight.
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Peter Brandt’s original sign for the Cosmic Aeroplane at 9th & 9th, painted on plywood. Direct sunlight and weather accelerates the fading of certain pigments — Photo taken by M.E. in 2013 courtesy of Steve Jones.

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Sherm Clow and Steve Jones at the original Cosmic Aeroplane on 9th South, surrounded by data from Polk’s Business Directory in 1967. Odd numbers indicate the addresses of neighboring businesses on the North side of the street. — Photo courtesy of Becky Roberts.

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I thought there should be a place where you could get underground papers, cigarette papers, jewelry, that kind of thing , said Steve Jones. Posters were a big thing at the beginning …

Examples of posters available from the Cosmic Aeroplane: (R to L) Art by Rick Griffin (see the shop window above); Art by Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse.

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The Cosmic Aeroplane sold Underground Newspapers like the “San Francisco Oracle,” the exact same things people were reading in the still-active Haight-Ashbury, and around the San Francisco Bay.

“Houseboat Summit” Oracle #7 — Alan Watts, Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, and Gary Snyder in a long, free-ranging discussion on a houseboat owned by Watts and Jean Varda.

They also stocked Radical Literature, plus other newspapers like the Berkeley Barb,  East Village Other, Detroit and L.A. Free Press ( AKA “Freep” )

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Cosmic Aeroplane Business Card circa 1967

(Above) Sherm Clow told how the original Cosmic Aeroplane acquired a number of promotional rolling paper packets from a now-unknown wholesale company — each blank cardboard dispenser contained about a dozen delicate leaves. Sherm and Steve used the Cosmic’s rubber stamp to turn them into business cards.

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Yes, these things are licensed and taxed! (Courtesy of Becky Roberts)

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Stationary from the first Cosmic Aeroplane location.

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The Cosmic Areoplane advertised in the Daily Utah Chronicle at the University of Utah:

(L) Sherm and Steve prepare for a photo-shoot; (R) Chronicle ad from October 1967, including adjacent art by Jules Feiffer; Color art by Rick Griffin, Peter Brandt, and Al Capp; Digital manipulations and insets by M.E.

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From FLASH — a mimeographed underground ‘Zine, distributed FREE:

Cosmic advertisement with 875 E. 9th South address — east of the original location. From the Rare Books Division, Special Collections, J.Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah.

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After the Cosmic Aeroplane moved to a larger space near the Union Pacific Depot, the district around the corner of Ninth East and Ninth South evolved into an area of so-called Alternative shops that served people who valued culture outside of “the mainstream” for over two more generations, and continues to do so in the 21st Century.

Advertisement from the Daily Utah Chronicle February 5, 1970 — The same issue which contained a story about the Cosmic Aeroplanes first days, and the transition to West South Temple. This W.C. Fields poster was a cultural icon in the 60’s, and led to new public demand for his movies, which the Blue Mouse Theater played in the early 70’s.

Uncredited article from the Daily Utah Chronicle February 5, 1970 about the first Cosmic Aeroplane transitions.

(Thanks to Steve Jones for the microfilm scans from the Marriott Library)

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Sherm and Steve also published The Electric News when the Cosmic Aeroplane was at this location — See & Read: Electric News Archive

Cover of The Electric News Number One by Peter Brandt, painter of the first Cosmic Aeroplane store sign, and original harmonica player for the Smoke Blues Band.

The Cosmic Aeroplane also placed advertisements in the Electric News.
Why not?

 

From the Electric News Number Two

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Peter Brandt — Artist and Musician:

 

Peter Brandt rehearsing at 366 W. South Temple — Photo courtesy of Smokey Koelsch.

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We actively request your contributions of pictures, memorabilia, and oral histories concerning the Cosmic Aeroplane — please contact our blogmeister: mike_evans_exile@yahoo.com

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