Mr. Willbridge, I took a tour of the Oregon State Capitol building, in Salem, a number of years ago. That was fun. The next time, in Salem. I would like to visit the AC Gilbert House museum in Salem. Gilbert's American Flyer train was a Christmas gift, for me, at a very young age. Gilbert was also the inventor of the Erector Set, as well. He obtained a medical degree from Yale and was a magician to help pay for his tuition. He also won a gold medal, in the pole vault, in the 1908 summer Olympics.
I noticed, looking at the schedule for the Rogue River, that the first 18 stops are not more than 12 miles apart.
Matthew, I may or may not have a different view of small towns. I grew up in a small town of around 5000 people in the late `40's and '50's. Most stores were "mom and pop" with the exception of a Rexall pharmacy and a Safeway supermarket. The proprietors were either friends of my family or, in many cases, neighbors. There was a real sense of community. My parents might drive over to the "big city" (Santa Rosa) to get a cheaper price on something or purchase an item they couldn't find in town. They did, however, like to do business in town and support the local businesses. It really created a strong sense of community. Now, as you mentioned, the small town today probably would have several big box or chain stores which wouldn't provide the same ambience. We also had one of the few towns with railroad tracks (SP) along the center of the downtown strip, where a penny in place could really be flattened. I can still hear, in my mind. the train horn sounding late at night.
