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July 1941. "On the Main Street of Cascade, Idaho." View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by Russell Lee for the Farm Security Administration.
Check out Wall Drug, in Wall SD. http://www.walldrug.com/ looking for tourist-trap faux-Western? These folks are unashamed of kitsch and are not shy about it. I was there two weeks ago. I am from Las Vegas and I have gained an appreciation since living here for open and honest commercialism. If that is also your bag, Wall is about 50 miles SE of Rapid City, on the way to the Badlands NP. Check 'em out, you'll be glad you did.
...Pool, Cards, Candy, Tobacco! My private Idaho.
Wonder if those faux-fronted western-style building still exist anywhere. Except for ghost towns. All you get these days is strip malls. Dang strip malls.
I live in Cascade along with about 950 other people. Many of those buildings still stand, but the tenants have changed. We have one bar that serves beer and wine and another that serves hard liquor. People cross the street from each bar to get what they want! A lot of retired people here as there is not much industry. You should know we still have the same movie theater that was built around then and maintains the same character. The town got hit hard when mining and lumber were cut off in the national forests but it is a great place to live with 2 great ski resorts up the road, some of the best snowmobiling country in the US, 2 great lakes for fishing, sailing and other water sports. Plus great steelhead and salmon fishing about 2 hours away. It's a paradise if you love any of the above.
I live a few hours away in Boise and have traveled to Cascade for work several times. If you updated the cars, the place would look pretty much the same. Beautiful country up there.
Is there still a place in Cascade where I can drink beer, eat candy, shoot pool, and play cards all in the same place? If so, I'm ready to move!
In all seriousness, these Kodachromes never cease to amaze me. Seems that they were the "high-def" of the previous century. They're all so gorgeous in their color and clarity, and seem to have held up amazingly well, too.
I wonder if this Dee's Cafe is related to the Dee's Restaurant chain in Utah? Idaho and Utah, being close together with a large Mormon population, seem to have a lot of the same people moving back and forth...
These buildings may or may not still be there, but the character of the small town doesn't look to have changed. A pretty place.
Glad to see this town has the basic necessities. Beer, drugs, food, more beer, and if you have any money left, what looks like a barber shop too for that all important haircut! According to Google Maps, the town and the Main Street are still around, can't vouch for the original buildings though.
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