Today is National Black Cow day! A black cow in this instance is another name for a root beer float, which is usually made with root beer and vanilla ice cream but sometimes chocolate ice cream is used instead. (It was suggested that cola flavor could be substituted for root beer, but that moves in the direction of a coke float, which should be an entirely different beast.)
Photo 1: Wanda Matthews (later Morrow) sits with a girlfriend behind her at the soda fountain in Crosby Drug Store on Main Street in Batesville AR, ca 1940s. Shows weight scales, magazines, pastries, and awning outside. (OIRM collection)
Photo 2: A black and white scanned photo of a Cow buyer beside a house, circa 1920, Cleburne County. (OIRM, Bechdoldt, Anne collection)