Life: Idiotropic

Who'da thunk that right smack down in the center of Washington State where no one really ever goes is a collection of exquisitely preserved old towns with rich history that began before statehood?  Who knew while laughing at Fleishmann's antics on Northern Exposure that the little town he called home is so, so much more than just a set for a television show and a pilgrimage point for fans?

I didn't.

And I didn't really have an excuse because I'd been there before.  And I'd walked the same streets and photographed the same buildings.  May be it's the new eyes.  A new perspective.  This time I noticed things I didn't notice before.

And wow.

Roslyn became a mining town with the discovery of coal in 1883, sixteen years before Washington became a state.  Back then, it was just part of the Washington Territory (split from the Oregon Territory in 1848) and that bit of coal was shipped down the road to Ellensburg to fuel a blacksmith shop.  A couple years later the Northern Pacific Railway Company began to develop the mines and recruited people from Europe to come work them. 

This "quiet little town" was once a cultural mecca with 28 different nationalities united together to deal with the hardships of the mining life and to make Roslyn a nice place to live.  Guess it shouldn't have surprised me when the shop owner at "Fleishmann's" place told us about the land he inherited from his Croatian family - in Croatia.  It all makes sense.  Even now, this town has roots.

Roslyn was incorporated in 1889 and ten years later it sat in the new Washington state.

It was chosen by producers for it's simple beauty and authenticity.  One main road runs horizontally through it.  Another road intersects it at The Brick creating those four city blocks of "downtown" where you find about a dozen examples of "Western Frontier architecture."  These original flat-faced wooden buildings seem directly from a John Wayne movie.  American flags fly proudly.  Murals cover several walls.  One for the miners.  One for motorcyclists.  And the one that's become famous - the camel.

I watched Northern Exposure in reruns every day when I was pregnant with Arianna.  Guess you could call us fans.  We missed the festival by a week when hundreds of thousands crowded into this tiny place and old stars returned for the fun.

Today I was happy to bask in the sun, walk the serene streets, and soak up the history of this special little town.

Lunch at The Brick was icing on a cake that was pretty good on its own.