May 31, 2009

Small Town Snapshot Sunday #11

It's Small Town Snapshot Sunday! Read the rules and get the banners here. Be sure you include the link to your post at the bottom of this entry and also, tag your post "stss" or "small town snapshot sunday" so people can search for it and find you!

This week my particular small town entry is about a "ghost town" called Arlburg. Back in the early part of the 1900's the little country area where I live was actually a railroad "boom town" (as boomy as it got back then, I guess). There was a railroad that ran through that was nicknamed "The Dinkey Line". There was the world's largest cooperage, and several towns along the line had their own industries attractions such as hotels, canning factories and other features of small railroad towns. The names of some of the towns on the line were Leslie, Rumley, Elba, Arlburg and Shirley. Of these only Leslie and Shirley still exist as towns.

This weekend I was in Arlburg and took a few shots of what's left of the town square.

This is the old railroad depot. It's made of stacked native stone mortared together. It's well overgrown with vines and bushes. The railroad line was across the road from this building and ran alongside the river. You wouldn't know a rail line was there if you didn't know the history.



Down the road is the old post office that is currently being used as a house. For a water source the occupants collect water from a spring.





Another building sits at the base of the mountain and has been completely covered by vines and small trees. I'm not sure what this building was. Through the trees came a big crashing noise, much running and hoof pounding. I assume deer. No sign of Bigfoot.



Miss Betty (who owned the local grocery) told me what this building was some years ago, but I've forgotten.




All the roads are narrow and form a square at the base of this mountain. It's a small shelf of land between the bottom of the mountain and the river.



On many of the buildings you can see ads for products or old signs.



Before she got too old, Miss Betty used to run a seasonal grocery store out of her garage. She'd sell ice and camping groceries for the locals who didn't want to drive back to town just to pick up a little something.





I think these concrete pillars might have been some kind of entrance or platform for the train, but I'm not sure.



A low water bridge goes across the river and is not always accessible safely if the water is too high.



This picture doesn't do the place justice but in this valley in certain places you can look up and see gorgeous bluffs in the distance that line the river.



The river is big enough in spots to float and eventually leads to Greers Ferry Lake.



And finally, my friends Bart and Amy have an adorable riverfront cabin and we were lucky enough to run into them this weekend while we were scouting around their neighborhood.




I hope you're having an awesome Sunday no matter what size town you're in.

This week's participants are:

Small Town Snapshot Sunday Participants
1. mrs. e
2. Ozark Life
3. Meri Arnett-Kremian
4. Becky
5. Woman of Faith
6. Smalltown Girl
7. Renee Nee Nee's Blog
8. Elizabeth
9. It Is What It Is
10. Views from a Small Town

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

25 comments:

  1. Hey, Wendy! Hope the link works. Everything looks so different! Happy Sunday!

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  2. Due to some technical difficulties on their end they had to disable the script that made the links work on the page.

    I've contacted them about possibly upgrading to hold us over in the meantime until they get it fixed.

    I don't like this new way their doing it in the meantime. BLEH!

    Appreciate your patience!

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  3. Gal, I've got pictures galore for you. All Arkansas, all the time. So glad I found your blog!

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  4. Wendy as I read your Blog the memories came flooding. They were what I needed today Thank you Rose

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  5. Ok - I hope the Mr. Linky thing works because it gave me some excuse about caching. At any rate, I did a post showing the harbor in my little town in the Pacific Northwest yesterday at meriak.blogspot.com and frequently include posts that feature it. It's so picturesque!

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  6. Hi. I just wanted to let you know that I put an entry on my blog today....and thoroughly enjoyed it. I put your link on my post, as I am still new to all of this...I'm still figuring out how to do things. I couldn't figure out how to get the banner to link to your site. Sorry, I'll work it out eventually. Thanks!

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  7. Olá, passei para dar uma olhadinha em seu blog, muito interessante. Parabéns.
    Abraços

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  8. Love, love, love your pictures. Evokes feelings I got as a kid visiting my grandparents in East Texas. To me, some of the old, brambley, pitted roads that eventually just peter out into an old deserted farm plot, are magical. Hearing the pine trees whispering in the breeze and watching them swaying way up top ~ aaaahhhhhh, I wish I were there now!

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  9. What a neat place to explore. Thanks for taking us on a tour. You gave me a great idea for next week's post.

    Take care,
    Frances

    http://thelifeoffrances.blogspot.com

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    your blog is ok...please visit to my blog
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  11. Hello Wendy~ I enjoyed this post very much. I especially liked that picture of the mountain. It made me think of home and how I would climb to my hearts content in those mountains. I would love the chance to see this place up close and personal because it's so beautiful. Thanks for sharing. Have a nice night.

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  12. Working hard to get my last minute entry in here! ha Been gone and I'm probably going to have to finish this tomorrow... my photos are not cooperating!

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  13. I like the door and the bridge best. Received your note. Won't abandon. 431 today! Geez.

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  14. Congrats on being named a Blog of Note. I noticed your follower count had rapidly jumped and wondered if that was it...had to go check.

    Glad I was around before you jumped another almost 300 followers!

    You deserve it!

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  15. I will someday enter with German small town pictures but sadly, none this week. What wonderful old buildings!

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  16. I am looking for a coke sign just like that one ... :(

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  17. Finally got my blog done. I am going to put a small town we drove thru on my blog each week, sort of a travel diary. :-) It was fun doing it, too. Thanks Wendy, love the story about the blue sand. I agree, karma will get her back!

    http://www.NeeNeesSoapShop.blogspot.com

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  18. Nice pictures. Looks very idyllic.

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  19. That was a dreamy post! My idea of a perfect day (well, add horses to that and then it's perfect perfect.)
    That cabin looks to die for!

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  20. I want to participate but my "small town" is not small by this definition. But come on! We only have one stop light too... and it is how tell time and directions here as well. I might have to break the rules and pretend my small town is smaller than it is by population.

    Love the story these pictures tell of this place!

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  21. I love these pictures! They feel like home in a way.

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