Stayton (Oregon) Daily Photo » americana

Twice As Nice

Celine — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 08:00:03 +0000

Visitor and great idea person Jason Jones suggested I do a “then and now” comparison of the Stayton-Jordan Bridge. He pointed me to some photos in the Salem Library online archive of the bridge, taken around 1960. And so I shall.

I don’t want to post the Library’s photos here because it would violate their guidelines, so linkage will commence after a brief summary of the bridge.

Once upon a time (1937, to be exact, though some of the dates which follow might be a wee bit off), the Jordan Bridge was built over Thomas Creek at Jordan east of nearby Scio. It stood for almost 50 years before volunteers saved it from being torn down. Instead, the disassembled it and rebuilt it in Stayton’s Pioneer Park in 1985. A fire destroyed the bridge in 1994 so volunteers once again rebuilt the bridge in 1998. The current version stayed true to the original.

If you visit this link at the Library’s Oregon Historic Photograph Collections site you can view some great photos of the bridge as it was 50 years ago. I especially like this photo because it shows not only the bridge, but also the area around it (even an old car).

Thanks, Jason, for the link to the photos — I had no idea they existed — and for the great idea. I appreciate it a lot, especially since it gave me an excuse to take more photos of my favorite bridge.

Welcome

Celine — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:00:49 +0000

Yesterday, I posted a photo taken on 3rd Ave. looking south, so for no reason whatsoever, here’s a photo taken in basically the same spot, looking the other direction. This time it’s looking up at some businesses instead of the sidewalk, so I suppose that’s different.

For a historical view of things, these buildings were constructed in the early 1910’s, and are part of “historic downtown Stayton.”

Late Afternoon At The A&W

Celine — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 08:00:28 +0000

The sun created some nifty shadows in the parking lot at the A&W Restaurant on Washington St. yesterday. The pavement was kind of frosty due to the cold, moist air, which also made for an interesting texture on the ground.

Note: I changed the permalink structure on the blog. I don’t think it will break any links, but if you notice anything out of whack, please let me know. Thanks.

3rd Avenue Comes Alive

Celine — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:00:20 +0000

Autumn has made the town extra pretty as of late, and this section of 3rd Avenue (a.k.a. historic downtown Stayton) is no exception.

Granted, it hasn’t come alive with activity (it would take an event of some sort to do that), but the colors are rather lively.

Star * Star

Celine — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:00:56 +0000

I happened by the Star Cinema on 3rd Ave. a couple of days ago, and noticed they have repaired their awesome neon sign. The last time I noticed it, some of the letters were dark. I have no idea when that happened, but I’m very glad they did. The people who run the Star do a wonderful job.

S T A R

Celine — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:00:51 +0000

I’ve posted photos of the neon sign on the Star Cinema movie theater on 3rd Ave., but I adore it, so I’m doing it again. Part of the neon is in need of repair, which isn’t surprising. That sign has been around for many decades, and is in remarkably good shape, considering its age.

Stroll

Celine — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Just a shot of 3rd Ave., across from City Hall. I like the “old school” look provided by the decades old buildings… like it’s from another time period.

America, Encapsulated

Celine — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000

I took the image above during the town parade on the 4th of July. There were a lot of flags in the parade, both big and small.

I’m aware some folks outside of the United States are curious as to why we Americans are so fond of our flag. Each part of the flag means something — the 50 stars represent the 50 states in our country, the thirteen stripes represent the original thirteen colonies, and so on — but what’s more, it’s a symbol of our national pride. It’s not an easy thing to explain, and it’s not based on conceit or elitism or ego (it may not seem like it at present, but it is true). It’s just a very basic part of who we are as a nation.

The U.S. isn’t perfect, and we have things in our country’s history of which to be ashamed, but overall, I think we do pretty well. And I am proud to be an American.

Thus concludes my random tangent into patriotism. We now resume your regularly scheduled photo blog.

Lead On

Celine — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:08:00 +0000

This is my alternate photo for yesterday’s city daily photo theme day, which was “what your city is known for.” My first instinct was to go with the Stayton-Jordan Bridge (pictured above), but the cannery I featured yesterday has been a part of the community (1924) much longer than the bridge (late 1980’s). And I’d posted a photo of the bridge for a theme day a couple of months ago, so doing it again might have been a bit of an overkill.

But I love the bridge, so I tend to gravitate to it a lot. In my mind, when I think of Stayton, I think of the bridge. A bit of history can be found on Oregon.com

American Star

Celine — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 01:39:00 +0000

I’ve posted a photo or two (okay, three) of the neon sign on the Star Cinema before, but it’s so cool, I’m doing it again. The flag behind the sign is at the police station, which sits right next door to the Star.

I really need to go back at night when it’s lit and take more photos. I shall do that someday soon, when it’s not so cold at night.

Other photos I’ve posted of the Star: