Union Station Had So Many Possibilities

Having visited the old Union Station railroad depots in Kansas City and St. Louis in the last few years, I think it’s a shame that forward thinkers in Cedar Rapids didn’t keep the old Union Station here. What got me thinking about that was today’s Ramblin’ column in The Gazette where we visited with Dick [...]

The Fourth Street tracks and more

Today’s Ramblin’ about a diorama of the Fourth Street tracks running through Cedar Rapids in 1954 didn’t really bring back memories for me, since I was born in 1953. But maybe it brings back memories for you or at least some reflection.
It certainly did for me, since I’ve written about the brightly lighted green and yellow ear [...]

New to Cedar Rapids?

Robert Ingalls, who recently moved to Keystone Place in Cedar Rapids, writes:
 
 
“We just moved to Cedar Rapids from Saint Louis. Our guide to the area was Bill McClelland, in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
“How would you suggest is the best and quickest way to learn about our new home.”
 
Robert — and anyone else new to [...]

Seeing CR from the Air

This is the Year of the River in Cedar Rapids, so I find it fascinating to see how the riverbank has changed over the decades.
On February 29, my Ramblin’ column in The Gazette included an aerial photograph taken about 1965, showing buildings along the west side of the river. Thanks to Urban Renewal, the area [...]