Western towns are flavored by ranching, mining and logging. There is a lot of open space around them. For nearby ranches, these places are where community is found. They are also where recreationists can find the potato chips they suddenly realized they forgot.
Some of that Old West aura is for tourists. Some is the heritage of which the residents, often whose family helped settle this country, are justly proud. Most aren't very big.
People come here out of love of the land or they were born and don't want to leave. They are pr
obably as corrupt or honest in how they govern their communities as any big town. Humans are humans with those who act honorably and those who can be bought for a buck. This a region that is changing as new people come in, sometimes buying homes as second homes but eventually coming to live there full time.Mitchell, Oregon has a population of aro
und 170 depending on the day. It has a hotel, several cafes (sometimes with more flies than diners), a gas station (if the owner is in the mood), mercantile, feed store, schools (with an actual football team of which the town is proud), and sometimes a pet bear, Henry, with whom the owner says he enjoys wre
stling when he's in the mood-- didn't answer whether that was the bear or the man in the mood.A lot happens in small towns based on mood.
Western towns have personality. I really like them, like their energy and the people who stick with them.
Incidentally, Henry seemed pretty contented in his cage which was as large as some I have seen in zoos. He only occupies it off and on as he has another cage which is even larger on the owner's property. The cage is double-wired to protect Henry from the dumb tourists who would stick a finger in there or give him some food that wasn't good for him.
If anyone expects to find the refinements of big cities on a regular basis, these aren't the places. You can often find espresso though.
Photos are from Mitchell except the first one outside of Prairie City and looking toward it.
I like looking at towns like these. They seem from another time, and yet here they are in the same present as we are. I always wanted to visit the John Day area, but never quite made it. Your photos make me wish I had.
ReplyDeleteI like small towns. I spent my working years in a major metropolis and the first requirement for retirement was that it be to a place smaller, quieter and cheaper. Our rush hour here means it may take two traffic light cycles to go through the intersection at Riverside & College Way. But of course you can also usually go around it. I don't think that we have any bears here in town, though.
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ReplyDeleteI love your photos of mitchell, Oregon. I certainly want to go there as well as going to some towns in Northern Washington State.
Dick, Your Mt. Vernon, Washington has a community college. I took Mountain Climbing there from Englebright and Eikenberger plus many Mt. Vernon hikers and climbers assisting. At that time my husband was a Whatcom County Mountain Rescue Volunteer during the early 70's. Mt. Vernon was a hub for many climbing sites. I wonder what the character of the town is like now.
ReplyDeleteIt's like going into another world, entirely! It's quite amazing to see the combination of old and new--for the tourist trade....That Bear....! I hope he has a lot of room to move around in that cage...I had to stop going to Zoo's because I gound it so painful to see the small areas so,e of the Anumals are kept in---Not all, mind you....Once again, I feel like I am on this trip with you!
ReplyDeleteOld buildings and other quaint architectural structures are some of my favorite photographic subjects.
ReplyDeleteIt was a generous sized cage. I have seen smaller in zoos, but he is only there probably on week-ends as he has a larger one on the owner's property. Whether the story will end happily is another question. I read a story this week about a woman killed by a 'pet' bear while she was cleaning its cage. They are wild animals and even the smaller ones like wolves, at heart there is a difference between them and the animals long ago domesticated. Owners of such better never forget it. This bear was (according to what I read and heard) born into captivity (elsewhere); so it's all he has known and he'd never manage in the wilds.
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