I lived in LaSalle until I was in 4th grade and right across the street the land was only home to weeds, brush and wildlife. Hunters, in season, would go after Pheasant and as a child I would hear the shotguns booming. One day 3 guys emerged from the bush's and as we had the only house on the street they came dragging a guy that the other 2 had shot. Mom was home and she tore up some rags and tried to help the guy. I have no memory of the Cops or any kind of emergency crew showing up. Now LaSalle is subdivisions that stretch out probably as far as River Canard. That is how things change. Never going back.
My parents both grew up in Windsor as did my sister and I and it's remarkable how quickly and severely it's gone down hill since the 90's. It was a nice city that had a town feel to it, reasonably affordable place to live and now...well now the only thing keeping us here is one another. None of us are happy here anymore, our neighbors are all strangers from foreign lands and the housing prices are absolutely astronomical thanks in large part to greedy individuals from out of town who gradually started buying rental properties so they could become wealthier and wealthier. The government sat back and did nothing and now most of our children who grow up here won't ever achieve the dream of home ownership. Sad times indeed.
The Springz amusement place is in the former Dominion / Value Village at the north end of Dorwin Plaza. Sentry Department Store was at the south end of the plaza and was last a Food Basics market.
And here in my new city Kitchener, they put in street cars, after everyone else got rid of them like 100 years ago. So stupid. There's this thing, called a BUS, that can easily go anywhere and is far superior to a technology that requires rails.
Thanks for the travel back in time. Most of the old black and white photos I recognize. I was surprised to see the old Capitol Theater. When I lived there, there was the Capitol, the Vanity and the Palace theatres. I remember Smith's store downtown and Kresges, and the Metropolitan which had a horrendous explosion killing several people. I miss the old place but at my age, likely will never see it again.
