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Niagara Falls, New York, in 1908. "Niagara Street." Presided over by a banner advertising the Democratic presidential ticket of William Jennings Bryan and John Kern. Or advising against them if you take the streetcar sign into account. 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
Those maypole rings are still in use around England. Most of the services are underground, however the telephone being the most recent service, is underground and then comes up to a maypole and distributed service to several residences. They are not as large as this example but will service whole block areas from a single pole.
By the direction of the shadows falling, I'd say this view is facing towards the river. I'm still trying to place that monument that is in the distance. Today, that area would be where the US Customs is located at the Rainbow Bridge. I don't know if it was moved onto the Reservation.
If you look carefully, you'll see that Taft isn't far behind Bryan at this point.
Also, a nice mix of transportation modes on display.
The streetcar's destination is the Power House. The street lighting is a mix of arc lights and strings of incandescent bulbs; perhaps the former are being phased out?
looked at the Google streetview. Very sad. There are areas in Berlin, Coventry and Dresden that are more recognizable after the ravages of war than downtown Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls was hit with an unusually harsh bout of urban renewal in the 60s-70s that demolished whatever may have been left of the streetscape by 1971. Google streetview (which I cannot bear to post) shows an arid boulevard in a landscape of parking lots, with a solitary Days Inn on the horizon.
The camera seems to be pointing East on Niagara Street, away from the Falls, towards Buffalo.
The man on the right appears to be in the classic cell phone pose while standing under the Ma Bell sign.
Another of those maypole-style telephone distribution rings.
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