Small Town Life in SSP in 1950's
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1/7/2007
SMALL TOWN LIFE
I was born in Miller Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota on Feb. 12th 1947.
We were called the "BABY BOOMERS" as were growing up in the 1950's. My family was my oler brother Max who was 7 years my senior and my sister Bonnie who was a years younge than our brother. My mom and dad were Jim and Inez who got married before WWII in 1939. They were transplants from two other states. My mom was from Gault, Iowa and my dad was from Lidgerwood, North Dakota. Both were very small towns in which they both grew up in. In 1952, they went looking for a new place to live and raise their young family of 3 children. So. St. Paul in those days was knowfor the smell.. the smell coming from the stockyards that big business had created just below teh cliffs where the Kaposia Indian once lived over 100 year before.
The found a small 3 bedroom home on 3rd Avenue just 2 block from the local swimming pool and 5 blocks from the local grade school named after one of the two Roosevelt presidents. Live was slow in SSP and time was also the best in the history of America. The "Fabulous Fifites" it was called. And from what I remember SSP was just a perfect place to be from in America during these years. But all changed durning the 1960's and the war we were engaged in due to the stupity of the American leaders of that day. (same as today??)
Many people moved away and looked for greener pastures or the call of big city lights. SSP continued to grow only slightly but as time past, SSP actually went down in population. The charm seem to fade away. The stock yards are gone and not much left but all of our older parents who weathered the storms of life. South Sait Paul is a great place to have grown up in. The High school is and stillis one of the very best in the nation. Back in my day the SSP PACKERS were the talk of the hockey world in high school sports. The football and ther Basketball teams were always #1 in the state back in those days..
Once the sixties hit the scene... Minnesota also suffered from all the vices of the new times. Drugs and crime were sneaking in the back doors of many homes in SSP and all it's surrounding communities. Small town values soon changed and many just moved to new places with the 5 state region.
For me I moved the furtherest of any of its inhabitants. I moved so many times I tend to forget all the places I have been to. Over 75 countries since 1965. Currently I live is a very small village of about 100 people in Northern
James | South St. Paul, MN