MARISSA KOZMA WRITES IN the dailypassport website about “6 U.S. Small Towns That Feel Like Stepping Back in Time”. Being well-travelled and of a certain age, I find that they all rekindle memories, sorta. Here, in Parts 1 and 2 today and tomorrow, are tidbits gleaned from Marissa’s article and from my own memory bank. Out of respect for Marissa’s work, I list the dailypassport choices in boldface, to wit:
Bisbee, Arizona. Marissa notes, “The quirky canyon town of Bisbee in southeastern Arizona sits at an elevation of 5538 feet—making it America’s southernmost ‘mile-high’ city. After copper was discovered in a nearby mine in 1877, Bisbee was incorporated in 1880 and became one of the largest cities in what was then the Arizona territory.”
“By 1900,” Marissa continues, “Bisbee had a population of more than 20,000, but after the mine closed in 1974, the number of residents began to dwindle.” In the 2020 census, its population was 4923. Marissa cites “a lively downtown of dive bars, galleries, gift shops selling copper-themed trinkets, museums, and Wild West-themed restaurants.”
Main Street in Bisbee, 2019. Image by Chad Johnson from Wikipedia.
I recall Bisbee fondly from a Copperstate 1000 Rally. Kids were given time off school to cheer our classic cars coming down Main Street. A good time was had by all.
Bisbee also made news here at SimanaitisSays in pioneer aviator Didier Masson’s Mexican Adventure.
Ferndale, Calif. Marissa writes, “Home to historic inns, gift shops, bakeries, fine art galleries, coffee shops, local markets, the Ferndale Museum, and other old-timey businesses, Ferndale is not only a picturesque getaway itself, but also an ideal hub for exploring nearby trails through the towering trees of Redwood National and State Park, the Lost Coast, and other attractions in the remote wilderness of Humboldt County.”
Ferndale, California. Image by Meinzahn/iStock from The Discoverer via SimanaitisSays.
Marissa is spot-on about exploring, especially the California Redwoods. Also, I recall Ferndale because of a favorite secondhand book store, now known as Butterfat Books.
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. “Nestled in Lehigh Gorge in rural Pennsylvania,” Marissa recounts, “the small community of Jim Thorpe is a popular stomping ground come autumn, when tourists flock to see the fall foliage of the Poconos.”
Image from Visit Pa. Note the wonderful balconies of the Inn at Jim Thorpe.
Jim Thorpe was founded in 1818 as Mauch Chunk, Native American Lenape for “Bear Place.” For a long time, it was a hub for anthracite mining. Much later, Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk merged in 1954 and renamed itself in honor of Jim Thorpe, Native American Olympic athlete who had attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School nearby.
In something of a sordid tourism deal, in 1954 Thorpe’s third wife received $500 from Mauch Chunk for having his remains reinterred there from Oklahoma and renaming the town. As recently as 2010, son Jack filed a federal lawsuit seeking to return his father’s body to Oklahoma. This ran back and forth through the courts for more than five years until the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the matter in 2015. Jim remains in Jim Thorpe, not in his native Oklahoma.
On a Much Happier Note. I visited the town regularly on early retirements returning from European business junkets (my mom lived not far from there). The Inn at Jim Thorpe provided handsome accommodations, my favorite large antiquely furnished second-story room with a street-facing balcony. Across the street was a restaurant that would provide a couple of beers and my hot peppers/anchovy/garlic pizza (I was traveling solo, you see).
I recall when from my balcony at The Inn, I welcomed a New York City-based SUV press junket arriving en masse for a Jim Thorpe-based Pocono tour. I told them about my pizza, but believe they had other plans.
Tomorrow, Marissa offers three more towns hidden in time. I’ve visited them only peripherally, sorta. ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2024