In Praise of Alleys..

I think,in general,alleys tend to get a pretty bad rap.
Alley cats,..Tornado alley,..like that.
But I've always been fond of them.
Not just as handy escape routes shortcuts through town,but for the fact that by their largely unattended nature,they can often give us a nostalgic glimpse into times past.

Shortly after the world became round,O-Town thrived as the center of gold mining operations in the Feather River valley.
Grizzled prospectors would stumble into town in order to stock up on supplies,raise a little hell,and solve crimes.
By neglect and design,one small well-trodden passage upon which these pioneers navigated our bustling hamlet,has been more or less preserved in O-Town's historic 'Miners Alley'..

The Birdcage theater is still in operation..I wish they hadn't dressed up the back stage entrance,but what'cha gonna do?..


This is more like it!..Even a task as mundane as bricking over a window,was worth giving a little artistic flair by the 19th century mason assigned to the task.


Long shots were a little hard to come by,what with it being an alley and all..

..But this one is very representative of the architecture of the day.

I can imagine the miners conducting their official business downstairs,before heading upstairs to conduct business of a different sort.

This is a favorite of mine.

'Eats..Beer & Liquor'..

Don't confuse the '1966' with the year it was built,..it's the address.

I suppose I can understand the original intention behind the two murals in the alley.
They may very well represent some typical activities of the era,but I can't help feeling that they just end up detracting from the historical flavor of the place,which is best left on the palate of the traveler.

Of course,there's always the possibility of encountering unsavory characters when exploring dark neighborhood alleys,..but I figure anyone that runs into me,can take their chances like everyone else..