St. Vincent in the New Century

I walked up and down the sidewalks of St. Vincent, including this section, more times than I can count. My Mom told me that those sidewalks were once so smooth and straight, that when she was a little girl in the 1920's, she could rollerskate from one end of town to the other. By the time I was a little girl, grass was growing up between the sections, and in some places pieces of concrete had disappeared entirely.

But despite their imperfections, and even at my young age, I saw the passage of time and sensed a connection to my town's past and my family's roots, that only increased and became more special to me as the years rolled by. Others may have passed through, and still others may have left and forgotten, but I will never forget St. Vincent. Insignificant to most, unknown to even more, it was my home. My dreams abound with references and memories of it; its people and places, around each corner a new discovery, a secret trail, an abandoned house to explore, a secluded path that seemed like it was there just for me and only me.

I ran across this collection of St. Vincent photos taken recently by a former native of Thief River Falls now living in Seattle...