Aug. 05, 2002 - 21:25 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Old Main Drag

Probably most every town has a street or two that once were the posh, heavily traveled streets that in later years became Skid Rows. Larimer Street was one of that kind here.

Denver pretty well was settled along the Platte River near its confluence with Cherry Creek. That muddy stream even with Cherry Creek running into it was in no way commercially navigable, sometimes impassable by a rowboat and would seem to an easterner a very unlikely place to establish a town. But in the arid west it had the most precious commodity . . . water. Thereby hangs a town.

Both sides of Larimer Street for blocks were stores, fancy trim and all that, at one time. A bit shopworn and shabby but still like they were in the 1800's. When I was little there was still one upscale restaurant there, The Manhattan, with tablecloths, napkins and silent waiters who did needful things courteously.

Larimer grew old somewhat graciously like some of the old ladies I used to see who dressed in clothing of a long ago time. Neat, careworn and dignified, near the end of their line. Larimer Street's dignity in the later days were the outsides of the storefronts, those paint needing, shabbily dressed old places. The original purposes of most of them were no longer existent I think. There was one, a saddlers shop, still going through World War Two.

Still it was back then that whatever business it was would be located somewhere down town on the same street as similar businesses and so it was, with cheap jewelry stores and pawn shops -- that's where they were. Larimer Street came by its Skid Row nickname I guess after repeal and the bars multiplied rapidly. As time wore on clientele had moved uptown, residences uphill, Larimer being near the rail yards and warehouse district was frequented by a different type of person. So I think it was on its way down even before repeal. There was a rescue mission there, same one that still exists here in town somewhere. Both sides of the street for the most part had pawnshops and jewelry stores.

I liked being down there about eight in the morning when the shop keepers would try to steer even me into their stores. Guess they wanted to make some kind of a sale first thing. At least they treated me like a citizen, not just a snotty little boy.

The jewelry stores had some of the things most fascinating to me displayed in their front windows. A lot of items were new, mixed in with second hand stuff. But the glittery, lustrous objects of gold and silver, some with jewels, all being precious to a kids eye had to be admired and dreamed about. I would spend time in front of every one, checking everything out and daydreaming of the time I would be able to afford some of those wnderful things.

The pawn shops were filled with such a huge variety of things. I noticed that different shops would have a majority of one type of thing or another. But most of them had some of the same things the other stores had. I was required by kid law and nature to look in the front windows and go into each one to survey what was up for grabs, for a price that is. Musical instruments were prominently displayed, they made a huge, brassy, shiny showing. Trombones, clarinets, accordions and what ever one might wish for were there. Cameras galore, and as time went on and as cameras improved and multiplied the display windows had many. Towards the back of most shops were the clothing racks. Adult clothes was all I ever spotted as I noticed when going by them.

Usually each shop would have one of those glass topped counters, lighted where the good stuff, polished and arranged was there to be seen. I would look and marvel at the obviously different tastes of previous owners. Each counter was a catcher of my eye needing me to spend time there. Periodically I would wipe the drool from my chin. I wanted one of each of everything I saw, dreaming of the day I could work and buy things that took my childish eye.

Most of the shops would have some hand tools but some of them seemed to have greatly more. I was a tool type guy, not yet a leg man and I think that every tooth on every saw was inspected by me, some tools which I didn't recognize would be fodder for my nosy mind attempting to figure out just what that tool did. There was one shop with a good natured store owner who would answer my questions when there was no other traffic there that might spend something. He would explain to me what the tools were named. for what they were used, and for what trade. Some things that began to show up evoked my curiosity because I just couldn't imagine how they could be used on any known thing. Turned out they were body and fender tools.

After I reached my majority I sampled the alcoholic wares in the bars on Larimer Street, feeling "macho" because I was hanging out on that tough street. By then I was earning enough that any of the kind of stuff sold in the pawn shops I would buy new elsewhere.

The years kept on going, moving imperceptibly at times but they did pass. Larimer Street kept on its way, going down hill by the year. Then began the era of urban renewal. Both sides of one block of Larimer were gussied up but leaving the basic structure as it was and became a place for upscale shops. Most of the rest of downtown Larimer Street was pretty well bulldozed and new buildings went up. That was about the time that the Daniels and Fisher tower stood alone, once it had been part of the big, elite department store that took up an entire city block but bulldozed to make way for progress (supposedly). The tower was a landmark which could be sighted from afar long ago.

Sometimes now when we are taking guests around who are strangers to town we take them on Larimer Street to Larimer Square to do a little window shopping and partake of refreshments and in the course of conversation I will tell them that this street was once busy, horses and carriages moving back and forth on the Old Main Drag . . . . . . . .

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