Kitty corner from the Toppenish train station ...
there is the neatest park. Known by the name of "Old Timer's Plaza", it has a bronze sculptured monument in the middle. I sure wish that I had taken pictures of all four sides. I'll add on that information as soon as I find it. It hasn't been very easy so far.
It showcases two huge murals, a guillotine, and with some benches and flowers.
The first mural is named, "The Crossroads to Market":
"Artist Robert Thomas shows the various methods of moving commodities to market in this collage. Thomas was born and raised in Toppenish and now resides in Kooskia, Idaho. The mural is on the wall of the Pow Wow Emporium adjacent to Old Timers Plaza in downtown Toppenish." Source: Toppenish.net Mural Gallery.
"This mural by Robert Thomas of Kooskia, Idaho, shows an early hop harvest when the crop was picked by hand. This was usually done by Indians from all over the Northwest, who came to the Toppenish area each year with their families, pets and chickens. They set up small Indian villages of teepees at the hop fields, staying until the harvest was completed. The mural was funded by the hop industry, which also paid for and developed a park called Old Timers Plaza, adjacent to the mural." Source: Toppenish.net Mural Gallery.
The next two pictures are close-ups of the rest of this mural:
~ Kathy M.
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7 comments:
What a neat place, and great photos, as always, Kathy!
We have relatives in Toppenish but have never spent any time there. Interesting photos.
Interesting post. The murals are beautiful and clever (teepee doorway), and so lifelike and full of detail!
The town I work in has a railroad bridge underpass which was constantly being defaced (it's a university town!). They decided to have an artist paint a mural on the bridge above and the cement slabs below. Not a touch of graffiti since. Amazing, really.
What a wonderful way to remember the history of the area. And no graffiti? Unheard of!
Those murals are gorgeous, Kathy! What a great place Toppenish is -- I'd love to see it for real! And the lack of graffiti show the respect people have for the art.
I think you would love my parents' hometown, Mont-Joli, as it has been named the capital of murals!!!
:)~
HUGZ
They're quite fond of murals here too, but simple ones, usually painted on the side of houses or shops. I was glad of your final revelation, as sadly, my immediate thought was that these lovely paintings would be a target for vandals.
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