Friday, May 21, 2021

Salida, Colorado: Then and Now

 Another errand run into the town of Salida this morning, while there I decided to see how many "then and now" pics I could get in the Historic Downtown area.

Wikipedia: A post office has been in operation at Salida since 1881. The community was named on account of its location at the upper end of the canyon containing the Royal Gorge, Salida meaning "exit" in Spanish.

It's actually a nice little town, with fewer than 6000 inhabitants apparently.  I power washed the Sammy just to get rid of the copious amount of mud that had caked the underside during previous fun drives with Chris and Lori.  Got more oil for both the Sammy and a planned generator oil change, parts for the Sammy's door rod which I need to adjust for hopefully easier opening.  The theory from Chris is the aftermarket seats are pushing against the door panel, causing opening difficult you see.

Anyways, errands accomplished, I cruised the downtown area and where I found a reference photo from the Denver Public Library's online database, I took a "now" shot for your viewing pleasure.  You should be able to spot the Sammy in most of the shots.

The Manhattan Hotel circa 1994
Constructed 1901
image source: DPL: AUR-991

Palace Hotel circa 1994
constructed 1901
image source: DPL AUR-993

The Twitchell Building circa 1989
constructed in 1880
image source: DPL: AUR-995

Here's a closer view of the mural in the picture above:

Hopefully, when they go to remove the mask someone taped
onto the mural, they'll not damage the mural.


F Street View circa 1920-1929
image source DPL: x-13259

Here's the mural partially shown in the photo above:

As I crisscrossed my way through the downtown area, I happened upon this nice looking Samurai.  I kind of like the soft top it sported, don't you?

As you can see in the pics, it was nice and sunny in Salida.  It was T-Shirt weather really and folks were out enjoying the warm weather with no wind.

It was a different story almost 2200 feet higher where the campsite is located!  Heavily overcast and strong gusty winds with temperatures in the low 50s!  Still, the lack of people at this location makes up for the nice warmth down below by the Arkansas River!

8 comments:

Blaze Our Way said...

I love the before and after pics. I'm happy to see so many places are still in existence and in such good shape! Looked like a fun time out.

redlegsrides said...

Thanks for the comments Lori, it has been too long since I've done one of these then and now postings.

RichardM said...

I like the inclusion of the mural. And, that is a nice Samurai in the last shot.

redlegsrides said...

Nice Samurai indeed RichardM....in spite of the rust spot.

CCjon said...

Had heard that Salida was an interesting place to visit. Your photos makes it look very inviting.
The only time I visited there was on the Coast to Coast US50 Ural run a number of years ago with Dave and Rudy. You remember that?

Then the town streets was packed with tourists. You could not have gotten the uncluttered photos you have here. Thanks for posting this.

redlegsrides said...

Salida, CCjon, is a popular area for river rafting expeditions and also off-road equipment rental apparently. I do remember meeting with you guys east of Salida in the CaƱon City area!

So yeah, summer means more crowded conditions for sure.

SonjaM said...

I am a big fan of then and now pics, Dom. You even managed to get the snapshots from the same angle, well done!

redlegsrides said...

Thanks SonjaM!