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June 1941. "Street scene in Cascade, Idaho. Cascade is a microcosm of Idaho's past and present -- all the industries of the state, including lumbering, mining, agriculture, stock raising and tourist trade, are apportioned to this town and its valley." Medium format acetate negative by Russell Lee. View full size.
I visited here in June 1973. Friends living farther south had a cottage in "The Cascades", as they called it, suggested that I go up there for a couple of days, stay in the cottage. So their two sons and I headed up in my MGB.
The drive up was great (got lost somehow at least once), countryside was beautiful, we had a ball. And then it snowed on us. I was not ready for that. Made for interesting driving with in my MGB. Learned to really love a wood stove.
Oh well. Nice memories.
This downtown is even more gone than most Shorpy pictures, judging by google streetview. I think I can figure out where this was by the church building. But the diagonal parking has been replaced by a grocery store, a bank, and a depressing suburban look. It's possible one or two of these buildings is still standing, but I couldn't find one.
Idaho is still a lovely, orderly place. It didn't change.
Food, coffee, drugs, beer, pool, cards, candy, tobacco, all within a couple hundred feet of street front. We traded Utopia for the mall, and now we don't even have those.
Wouldn't it be great to see this same scene lit up after dark? I miss street scenes like this. I'd wager that downtown Cascade doesn't look nearly as vibrant today.
Looks like it would have been a wonderful street to visit.
[You could get gas at either end! - Dave]
Need one of you car geeks to go down the line identifying all the cars by their headlamps.
Just as a tobacconist might have a wooden Indian, or a barber a spiral-striped pole, I see the beer hall has two kegs sitting on the sidewalk in front of the store. Or, more likely, they're there waiting to be swapped for two full kegs when the delivery truck comes around.
This is the kind of orderly approach to life that I recommend to one and all.
Anyone know where we can find it?
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