The North Coast times-eagle., July 01, 1992, Page 2, Image 2

THE DESERTED CITY
S u n k a r e th y b o w e r s in s h a p e l e s s r u i n a l l ,
A n d th e l o n g g r a s s o 'e r t o p s th e m o u l d e r i n g
w a ll;
A n d , t r e m b l i n g , s h r i n k i n g f r o m th e s p o i l e r 's
hand,
F a r , f a r a w a y th y c h i l d r e n l e a v e t h e l a n d .
B Y K A R E N M E L L IN
i n th e s t r e e t s a n d l o t s o f l i g h t s . C o i c e o f r e s t ­
a u r a n t s , t a x i s to B l u e s j o i n t s c e r t a i n l y n o t l o ­
c a t e d in t h i s d i s t r i c t .
S u n d a y m o r n i n g w e d r o v e o u t N o r t h S t r e e t to
t h e W e s t E n d to s e e m y d a d 's h ig h s c h o o l a n d
h o u s e a c r o s s th e s t r e e t ; g e t a p i c t u r e f o r th e
o l d m a n . I g o t d i r e c t i o n s to A u s t i n H ig h S c h o o l
f r o m th e b l a c k s t a f f a t th e L i n c o l n H o t e l , tw o o f
w h o m h a d g ra d u a te d fro m th e r e . B ut th a t w as a
lo n g t i m e a g o , t h e y s a i d , a n d s e e m e d u n e a s y
a b o u t o u r w a n t i n g t o g o i n t o t h a t p a r t o f to w n .
T h e r e w e r e s o m a n y p o th o le s a n d to r n - u p
s t r e e t s , c l o s e d r o a d s a n d d e t o u r s f r o m th e
c o m p l e t e l y u n d r i v e a b l e s t r e e t s t h a t w e h a d to
t a k e a c i r c u i t o u s r o u t e to g e t t h e r e . W e s a w
b lo c k s of b o a r d e d - u p h o u s e s , l i t t l e k id s th r o w ­
in g r o c k s l e i s u r e l y t h r o u g h w i n d o w s , g a r b a g e
s tr e w n a b o u t e v e r y th in g lik e a u tu m n le a v e s ;
and no b u s in e s s e s . N ot e v en a c o r n e r g ro c e ry
s t o r e . It f e l t d e s o la te , d a n g e r o u s , an d a b a n d o n ­
e d , w i t h n o i n d i c a t i o n o f h o p e f o r b e t t e r to c o m e .
In th e d e e p e s t h e a r t o f t h e d e s o l a t i o n w e fo u n d
t h e s c h o o l a n d h o u s e , to o k tw o f u r t i v e , n e r v o u s
p h o to s a n d g o t o u t f a s t .
W ith t h a t e x p e r i e n c e o v e r , w e b e g a n to r e l a x
an d h e a d ed fo r D e tro it. T h e re w as a g re e n is h ,
y e l l o w - g r a y s m o k e b i ll o w i n g in th e d i s t a n c e t h a t
w e l e a r n e d w a s t o x i c w a s t e b u r n i n g in G a r y ,
I n d i a n a . D a n Q u a y l e 's s t a t e ; d e r e g u l a t i o n th e
s ong.
A ll a c r o s s 1 - 8 0 / 9 0 t h e r e i s r o a d w o r k g o in g
on B u t r o a d r e c o n s t r u c t i o n s t o p p e d a b r u p t l y
a s w e e n t e r e d th e g r e a t e r D e t r o i t a r e a . W e
d o d g e d p o th o le s th a t t h r e a t e n e d r e a l d a m a g e to
th e C h e v y , a s if t h e c u l t u r e t h a t b r o u g h t b i r t h
to t h i s h o t c a r in t h e 7 0 's h a d t u r n e d a g a i n s t i t .
C e r ta i n ly th e t r a f f i c d i s a p p e a r e d , a s if n o one
r e a lly u s e s th a t ro a d a n y m o re .
O u r d e s t i n a t i o n w a s th e U n i v e r s a l i s t / U n i t a r ­
i a n C h u r c h w h e r e V a n e s s a 's c o l l e g e f r i e n d ,
S a r a h , liv e s o n th e c o r n e r of C a s s a n d P r e n ti c e .
— O L IV E R G O L D S M IT H
"T h e D e s e r te d V illa g e "
F o u r w e e k s ago m y d a u g h te r, V a n e s s a , an d I
d r o v e a c r o s s th e U n i t e d S t a t e s o n I - 8 0 / 9 0 i n h e r
1 9 7 7 w h ite C h e v y N o v a j a m m e d t i g h t l y w ith a l l
o f h e r b e l o n g i n g s , i n c l u d i n g h e r fu to n a n d d i s h
d r a i n e r . She d ro v e up f r o m O a k la n d w h e re sh e
h a d b e e n u n io n o r g a n i z i n g a n d w a s h e a d e d f o r
P i t t s b u r g a n d a n o t h e r u n io n c a m p a i g n . S h e a s k e d
i f I w o u ld g o a s f a r a s D e t r o i t a n d fly b a c k f r o m
t h e r e . I t 's a n o p p o r t u n i t y to s e e a r e a l p o s t ­
in d u s tr ia l c ity , sh e o ffe re d .
W e l e f t P o r t l a n d a f t e r s p e n d i n g $ 7 5 0 to g e t
t h e c a r r u n n i n g a n d d r o v e , t a k i n g t u r n s a t th e
w h e e l , a c r o s s O r e g o n , d o w n t h r o u g h I d a h o to
S a l t L a k e C i t y . W e d r o v e a l l n i g h t a n d th e n e x t
d a y , e n d in g u p in R a w l i n g s , W y o m in g , a l a r g e l y
b o a r d e d - u p to w n t h a t w a s o n c e r i c h w ith c o p p e r
m i n i n g a n d th e r a i l r o a d . N ow i t is a d u s t y m o t e l
s t r i p f o r t r u c k e r s . T h e o n ly a t t r a c t i v e s i g h t w a s
t h e F e r r i s M a n s i o n , b u i l t in 1 9 0 3 , w h ic h to o u r
g o o d f o r tu n e is a ls o a b e d & b r e a k f a s t . E x h a u s te d ,
w e l u x u r i a t e d in th e c o m f o r t o f a h o u s e r e s t o r e d
c o m p l e t e l y to i t s o r i g i n a l g r a n d e u r b y l o v in g
h a n d s and h a rd w o rk .
F r o m R a w li n g s w e d r o v e to C h e y e n n e t h r o u g h
t h e R o c k y M o u n ta i n s a n d s o m e g o r g e o u s c o u n t r y ,
th e n c r o s s e d N e b r a s k a ( e te r n ity ) an d fin a lly
s t o p p e d a t 1 1 : 3 0 p . m . in A n i t a , I o w a , th e h e a r t ­
la n d of A m e r ic a . T h e m o te l k e e p e r d i r e c te d us
t o th e G r e e n D o o r C a f e & B a k e r y th e n e x t m o r n ­
i n g f o r b r e a k f a s t , th e c e n t e r o f to w n S a t u r d a y
m o r n i n g f o r a l l th e l o c a l s . E a t i n g o u r A m e r i ­
c a n F r ie s and E g g s, we fe lt so sa fe an d c u s h ­
i o n e d in t h e h e a r t l a n d o f r o l l i n g h i l l s a n d a g r i ­
c u ltu re .
W e w e r e d i r e c t e d to th e b a c k r o a d t o s e e th e
h i s t o r i c a l m a r k e r , a n d t h i s a r e a ' s c l a i m to
f a m e . A t th e s i d e o f th e r o a d in A d a i r w a s a
s h r i n e to t h e b a n d i t J e s s e J a m e s w h o s e g a n g
c o m m i t t e d th e f i r s t t r a i n r o b b e r y a t t h i s s p o t,
a n d k i l l e d tw o i n n o c e n t w o r k i n g m e n , th e e n g i ­
n e e r a n d h is f ir e m a n . T h e in f o r m a tio n b o a rd a t
t h e s i t e a l s o d e s c r i b e s th e d e s t r u c t i o n o f th e
o n c e f e r t i l e p r a i r i e s in j u s t th e p a s t t h i r t y y e a r s
th ro u g h o v e r c u ltiv a tio n . A lo c a l g a rd e n in g
g ro u p h a d r e s t o r e d a b o u t a n a c r e of p r a i r ie
w ith its o r ig i n a l m ix of g r a s s e s a s a s o r t of
e x a m p le of w h at w as th e r e fo r m illio n s of y e a r s ,
d e s t r o y e d in a g e n e r a t i o n .
T h r o u g h o u t Io w a a n d I l l i n o i s p e o p le w o r r i e d
a b o u t t h e d r y b u t c o ld S p r in g t h a t k e p t th e c r o p s
f r o m g r o w i n g . We g o t o u r i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m g a s
s t a t i o n a t t e n d e n t s a n d l o c a l h e a d l i n e s in th e
n e w s t a n d s . We p a s s e d th ro u g h c i t i e s w h e r e GM
p la n ts w e re c u ttin g b a c k h o u r s ; e v e ry o n e n e r ­
v o u s about d ro u g h t and c lo s u r e s .
W e p a s s e d m i l e s o f p u b lic a s s i s t a n c e h o u s in g
p r o j e c t s d r i v i n g in to C h i c a g o , h e a v y t r a f f i c on
t h e f r e e w a y i n to to w n a n d th e L o o p , a n d a f t e r
l o c a t i n g th e O p e r a H o u s e w h e r e m y d a d u s h e r e d
d u r i n g h ig h s c h o o l , w e l a n d e d a t th e L i n c o l n
H o te l, a c r o s s f r o m L in c o ln P a r k an d L a k e M ic h ­
i g a n w ith a v ie w of th e c i t y in t h r e e d i r e c t i o n s
f r o m th e 1 1 th f l o o r . O ld T o w n . G o o d I t a l i a n f o o d ,
c o f f e e , u n lim ite d g e n tr i f i c a t io n . Y oung a n d w h ite ;
s t u d e n t s , d o in g w e l l , h a v in g a g o o d t i m e . M u s ic
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