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This area of 9th Avenue has seen a few
changes. The first building is still the local newspaper office
(now called the Independent Enterprise). The longtime downtown
fixture, the Joseph Cafe, is visible just past the alley. The
Joseph closed in the 1990s but is back in business, now as a "fine dining" supper club with some new
signage. The old billboard, partially visible in the alley next
to the cafe, still looks much the same today as it does in this
photo; and the front half of the block virtually unchanged (on
the outside, at least).
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This is a view of the same series
of buildings as above, but from the opposite end of the block.
Forsyth had two drug stores in the '60s and '70s; Forsyth Drug,
seen here on the right, and Yellowstone Pharmacy which was
farther east on the same block.
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Yet another view of 9th Avenue,
this time showing the front of the Joseph Cafe and the Choisser
building. The Post Office and a dress shop (Vennie Lane's)
occupied the bottom floor of the Choisser building. The Joseph
building has more modern windows and doors, but the brickwork
above the windows is still there to be seen today.
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This is the eastern corner of 10th
and Main Street, across the street to the east of the Roxy.
These buildings were torn down in around 2004 when the Palomino
Mercantile building was moved into the lots.
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Forsyth used to have several
clothing stores, and here are two of them: Penneys, and Vaughn &
Ragsdale, known to locals as "the V&R." The corner
storefront held yet another clothing store, "The Hub," which
sold western gear. Ben Franklin later became the V-Store Trading
Post and expanded into the space occupied by Penneys. All of
these stores are gone now, the clothing stores a victim of
Wal-Mart, and the Trading Post a victim of bad management,
mostly.
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A large share of the buildings in
this picture are still being used for the same purpose today as
they were in 1961. The Hotel Howdy is still the Hotel Howdy, but
the Elk Cafe (after a period of being closed) is now the home of
the Speedway Diner. Next to the Elk Cafe is a little store
called Valley Auto Supply, which operated in that small location
for a few years before moving to its current 9th Avenue
location. The All American Bar became Buff's Bar shortly
after this picture was taken; and the Gambles store is now
located in a larger building on 9th Avenue, and known as Forsyth
Hardware.
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This is the 1000 block of
buildings. The Roxy can be seen in the background with its
highway map painted on the side. The two buildings in the center
have not changed much in nearly 50 years. The building with the
flat awning is F. M. Booth, a furniture store, which eventually
became Beals Furniture. It is still a furniture store
today but is called The Gallery. The bowling alley in the
foreground got competition in the form of a new bowling alley,
Evergreen Lanes, in 1971; the two bowling centers operated
simultaneously for a year before the downtown center closed. It
later became a clothing store, "The Western," and is now a
church.
Click HERE to go to part two of these
pictures.
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