The Street Scene, Woodward Avenue
Snow. Beautifully decorated Christmas trees and storefronts. Electric streetcars. Crowds of shoppers, wealthy ladies, chauffer-driven limousines, beautiful Christmas music, and my boss driving down Grand River in his new Lincoln-my envy. All of these sensations and more from 60, some now 70 years ago, continue to flood my consciousness when I think “Detroit”, and I am deeply saddened by its current condition. The last time I visited this area it looked like a bombed out street scene from World War II. So sad. I have heard, however, that Detroit has regained its former lustre. I hope so.
The scene that has stayed with me for all of these years is Woodward Avenue blanketed in several inches of beautiful white snow and all of the specialty shops in the area around J.L. Hudson with their windows decked out in Christmas scenes– Christmas trees, dwarves, elves, and Santa Clause with all of his reindeer and a sleigh full of beautifully wrapped gifts. Top this off with the sounds of Christmas music filling the street and your emotions – even if you aren’t a very sensitive person- like me and like Scrooge, you begin to get a warm feeling of joy and good will. Sometimes I would see my boss on his way home driving through this scene in his new Lincoln and I would feel that this kind of luxury was within my reach- almost, there was hope. But the sound of the mountain winds of East Tennessee, the views from the high mountain peaks and the woodlands just across the back pasture with all of the mysterious trails and glades and memories of childhood rambling kept calling.
The electric streetcars moved constantly through providing colorful and reliable transportation for those who were shopping North and South along Woodward Avenue. For those moving Westward along Grand River (major east/west street) there were the electric trolleys. And for the wealthy ladies chauffer-driven Cadillacs and Lincolns.
Map of a Mountain Man 