Is it just me, or is anyone else saddened by the great homogenization of our society which occurred primarily during the second half of the last century? The same big box stores from Bangor to Baja....the same chain restaurants from Atlanta to Anchorage....one place looks pretty much like any other place these days. Most of the talk about the great homogenization of American Culture over the past two generations applied to things like national retail and restaurant chains. Our children and grandchildren take this sameness for granted and the argument could be made that the sameness isn't bad at all and that it is more convenient. One can rely on finding the same sandwich of the same quality and flavor at the McDonald's in either San Diego or Syracuse. It wasn't always so easy to find reliable sources of food and beverage on the road. Some of us still remember a time when each town, or state, or region had a unique flavor. That flavor was evident in everything from architectural styles, to food, and even the landscape.
A few summers ago we drove from Indiana to Yellowstone National Park. Much of the route covered the same ground I had traveled with my grandparents about 60 years ago. As we traveled west into southern Nebraska, roughly following the old Oregon Trail things didn't seem like I remembered them from the trip with my grandparents. At first I couldn't put my finger on it...maybe it was just a faulty memory.
What finally occurred to me as we traveled across Nebraska was that there was barely any difference in the amount of timber we saw between Indiana and Nebraska. Yet I remembered a Nebraska with considerably fewer trees than a typical Indiana landscape. I remembered my grandparents telling me about the pioneer houses built of sod because there were no trees for log cabins. I even remember stopping along the road and walking out into a pasture with my grandfather and looking at an old soddy. I wonder if my memory is faulty? I might have been only 9 the last time I crossed that state but I don’t remember it looking so much like home. I’m fairly certain emigrant travelers of 1849 would not have recognized much of the landscape we found in Nebraska that recent summer. Perhaps there are places in Nebraska that have not become so homogenized, but we did not see many of them on this trip. We did find a reproduction sod house and small museum along our route. I came away feeling somehow disappointed and looking back at the picture it took me a while to realize what was unsettling about the view....It was the trees there were a lot of them, the soddy was practically in a grove.....they were all wrong. There are still a few of the original sod houses that have survived since pioneer times, but they are very rare these days.
The Park and Eat, Woodies, The Downtowner, The Oaks, The Corner Cafe, Green Gables, The Flame, the Frost top....all unique place names from my childhood and youth that served good food to mostly local crowds. A hamburger and fries was uniquely different at each place. On my travels I still try to find some of those lost places...or to photograph their now empty shells. Below are a few ghosts from our past for your enjoyment. Gas Stations, Motels, and other gems from the road. Peggy Sue's 50's Diner in Barstow California has been in business that long, and still serves up a good burger and fries.
What finally occurred to me as we traveled across Nebraska was that there was barely any difference in the amount of timber we saw between Indiana and Nebraska. Yet I remembered a Nebraska with considerably fewer trees than a typical Indiana landscape. I remembered my grandparents telling me about the pioneer houses built of sod because there were no trees for log cabins. I even remember stopping along the road and walking out into a pasture with my grandfather and looking at an old soddy. I wonder if my memory is faulty? I might have been only 9 the last time I crossed that state but I don’t remember it looking so much like home. I’m fairly certain emigrant travelers of 1849 would not have recognized much of the landscape we found in Nebraska that recent summer. Perhaps there are places in Nebraska that have not become so homogenized, but we did not see many of them on this trip. We did find a reproduction sod house and small museum along our route. I came away feeling somehow disappointed and looking back at the picture it took me a while to realize what was unsettling about the view....It was the trees there were a lot of them, the soddy was practically in a grove.....they were all wrong. There are still a few of the original sod houses that have survived since pioneer times, but they are very rare these days.
The Park and Eat, Woodies, The Downtowner, The Oaks, The Corner Cafe, Green Gables, The Flame, the Frost top....all unique place names from my childhood and youth that served good food to mostly local crowds. A hamburger and fries was uniquely different at each place. On my travels I still try to find some of those lost places...or to photograph their now empty shells. Below are a few ghosts from our past for your enjoyment. Gas Stations, Motels, and other gems from the road. Peggy Sue's 50's Diner in Barstow California has been in business that long, and still serves up a good burger and fries.
