Courtesy Art A graphic displaying Lud’s Hamburgers is seen in this courtesy image.

ALPENA — It was 60 years ago, this year, when the late Miles R. Ludlow brought a slice of Americana fast food to northeastern Michigan. Opened in 1964, at 1223 South State Avenue, his legendary eatery was known as Lud’s Hamburgers.

The restaurant became a mecca for their 15 cent hamburgers, Giant Burgers, French fries, thick milkshakes, a variety of soft drinks, and the legendary Lud’s coney hot dog smothered in a zesty sauce, mustard, and chopped onions.

Lud’s baked their own hot dog buns and made their coney sauce from scratch.

A Lud’s Hamburger Facebook page cites Ludlow’s policy was “to use quality food at a reasonable price – served fast and friendly.”

The original restaurant was a walk-up to an ordering window. Later, Ludlow added indoor seating and a drive-through window.

During the weekends, the eatery’s massive parking lot was filled primarily with teens. Back-vehicle parking was the norm to see who was cruising through the premises. In addition, during the week, the creative entrepreneur, Ludlow offered various dining specials to bring in patrons.

Over the years, Ludlow Enterprises became an empire of ice distribution and Big Boy restaurants across northern and upper Michigan.

If you listened to the then, WATZ-am radio station, you would hear radio personality, Roy Beard, plug commercials by stating, “Lud’s – home of the happy little hamburger makers.”

Until recent years, when Ludlow Enterprises sold the Ripley Boulevard Big Boy restaurant, you could still dine on a Lud’s Giant Burger.

However, Mancino’s restaurant located on State Avenue still serves Lud’s Coney Island at $3.95. Periodically, the restaurant offers specials on Lud’s hot dog.

Over the decades on routes U.S.-23 North and South, Ripley Boulevard, and M-32 nationally branded and locally owned convenience; fast-food restaurants sprouted like a late summer cornfield.

On Friday, Sept. 21, 2007, near the shadow of Tony’s hamburger restaurant, once located near Mich-e-ke-wis Park, Lud’s served its last hamburger, coney hot dog, and other renowned foods and beverages.

An online obituary notice revealed Miles Richard Ludlow passed on Sept. 12, 1999. He is interred at Alpena’s Holy Cross cemetery.

Jeffrey D. Brasie is a retired health care CEO. He frequently writes historic feature stories and op-eds for various Michigan newspapers. As a Vietnam-era veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Naval Reserve. He served on the public affairs staff of the secretary of the Navy. He grew up in Alpena and dined hundreds of times at Lud’s. He resides in suburban Detroit.