Thursday, February 6, 2020

Mural at the Library

The other day at woodcarving we were the first ones there so I had a chance to photograph the mural on the wall.   My cell phone takes pretty good photos.

It is bits and pieces of town...or what used to be in town.

The Water Tower is no longer there and Far Guy says they really didn't portray it correctly.  The bridge that is red is still in the park but it doesn't span the water anymore just the grass.  I have no idea where those flower gardens were.   The bell is from the Main Street Fire Department from about 1890...it sits outside the Fire Department.

 The Headwaters of the Mississippi are not in town but about 25 miles North of town. 
A long time ago there used to be the same log with the words on Main Street outside of an eating establishment on the first block of main...not sure when it disappeared.

  It used to say;

“HERE 1475 FT ABOVE THE OCEAN THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI BEGINS TO FLOW ON ITS WINDING WAY 2552 MILES TO THE GULF OF MEXICO”


I do not recall a fountain in the river either but there could have been one a summer or two a long time ago.

So that is a tour of the mural in the library meeting room. 

Far Side

21 comments:

Dawn said...

That's beautiful. I love everything about libraries. I wonder, though, how many people get to see the mural if it's in a meeting room? Still, it's pretty cool, and yes, your camera does take great pictures, and so do you!

Araignee said...

That is just amazing! How fun to be able to look for old landmarks and such. I hear they spent millions on the ones that line the new parking garage but nothing on them seem representative of the area.

linda m said...

That is really neat.

Pauline Persing said...

This is a very interesting mural. I enjoyed reading about the objects in the mural.

DJan said...

I saw a yellow lady slipper in one part, which makes me think of you. And lots of people riding bikes! It's a truly wonderful mural, even if it's not exactly accurate. :-)

Miss Merry said...

That mural is so special! What a lovely addition to your library. Thanks for sharing with us.

Sara said...

What an interesting mural. I've actually been to that headwaters site - in the late 1960s. Maybe we drove through your town. One of my high school friends has painted some murals in courthouses and librairies in southern Minnesota recently. She said the research for them has been interesting.

Rita said...

Now that is a very specific, unique mural! A lot of thought went into it, that's for sure. I wonder if they hired someone not from the area to paint it or someone very young with no memory of a lot of these things. Well, artistic license, I guess. Regardless it is pretty cool! :)

L. D. said...

That is an ambitious project for sure. When I looked closer I could see it was painted on a brick wall. The books in the background was an interesting solution too. They fooled me at first until I looked closer.

Betsy said...

That is a neat mural. You have to take small parts and really look to try to see everything. They have moved three of our libraries into the mall so the buildings can be remodeled. I wonder what "Modern" things will replace the traditional native decor?
Blessing,
Betsy

Bonnie said...

That is a beautiful mural. Minnesota is a beautiful state. My brother made it his home and loved it very much. I've been to the headwaters. At my brother's request we spread his ashes in a secluded part of the headwaters where he used to camp. It will always be in my heart.

Red said...

I like inside murals more than outside. I know they have to cheat a bit to show what ideas they have.

thecrazysheeplady said...

Beautiful mural, even if not exactly perfect :-).

Cynthia said...

That’s a nice mural. I love the raccoon coming right out of the picture.

Granny Marigold said...

Nice mural. I wonder what happened to the fountain in the middle of the river.
In any case, a lot of work went into painting the mural I'm sure.

diane in northern wis said...

I like that mural in your library. Pretty cool even though some of the things have changed. So that's where you meet to woodcarve. You have a cute little town. This week has flown by. Hope all is well with you two and that you win big if you're at Bingo tonight!

Karen said...

Love murals that depict bygone days in town. My late husband is on a mural in our town. He is representing youth in sport in the 1970s.

Val Ewing said...

Our town has a few murals on the outside of their buildings. I should get some photos of them one of these days. A new one was painted on the side of a rather large building this summer. It was fun to drive by and see the artist working on it.
The nursing home also has painted scenes on the walls!

Gemma's person said...

That is really nice.

Diana said...

I love this! How fantastic they have those murals, even if all the oriuginal places are no longer there. Think of the history! Sure makes me want to vosot your town! ♥ Blessings to you guys! ♥

Sam I Am...... said...

I love the mural! I think it is such a wonderful depiction of communities even if it isn't always accurate. The beginning of the Mississippi amazes me at how small it is compared to how big it gets! I take it the books surrounding the mural are also painted on there? Thank you for showing us!