The large sign along Highway 97, just south of this small town in Washington state, proudly proclaims: Welcome to Goldendale, the golden gate to the Evergreen State. This is a great motto to live up to, and this has been the motto of the community for as long as I can remember, going back a while.
I was born in Goldendale in 1953. I went to elementary school when it was still a school, now it’s a church. I remember when Highway 97 ran through the heart of the city. When we were teenagers, we used to sit on the front porch of the old Hall Hotel and watch the traffic go by. This is now a vacant lot and the highway passes through the outskirts of town.
There used to be a pool hall, The Club, for teenagers to hang out and learn the game in a decent environment. Jim, the owner, did not tolerate any bad behavior and we knew it. We used to respect Jim because he told you how things were. Kids my age needed to hear that.
What happened to the Star Theater? Many afternoons and evenings were spent there watching old Vincent Price movies. I actually saw my first movie there. The tingle! I still remember how scared I was. This was the place where you could hold hands with the girl you liked. Put your arm around her and learn about dating and experience your first true love. Just like in the movies.
They spent hours fishing for trout in the Little Klicitat River, Bloodgood Creek, and Bowman Creek. A day trip to the Columbia River, 20 miles south, for a picnic, fishing, or swimming. Maybe go a little further west to Horsethief Lake for the day.
They spent the days lying in the sun by the pool. It’s long gone from its original location, but at least it was relocated to another part of the city and not just forgotten. Growing up here without a swimming pool is incomprehensible. At least as I remember it.
Winters were spent ice skating on the frozen Little Klickitat River. sliding down Fairgrounds Hill, making hickeys behind slow-moving cars on snow-covered streets.
No, entertainment was never lacking growing up in Goldendale.
I remember Radke Motors, the Dodge dealer in town when I was a kid. Sitting in that ’68 Dart GTS on the showroom floor was an incredible experience for a car-crazy young man. A friend of mine’s dad bought that real car and I finally got to drive it! There was also a Chevrolet dealership there. If I remember correctly it was called Sunset Chevrolet. I may be wrong on that. They didn’t like kids drooling over new cars in the showroom, so we didn’t go there much. There were never any Jeep dealerships or Ford dealerships that I can remember. Now you can’t buy a new car in Golden Valley.
Adults weren’t left out either. There was the Town Tavern, The Top Hat Tavern, The Rialto Club, The Evergreen Cafe, The Simcoe Cafe, and the American Legion Hall, all within a block of each other. To sober up and eat after a night out downtown, they could meet at the Café Oasis on the outskirts of town. The Top Hat and The Simcoe are the only two such establishments left in the city center now. The Simcoe is the only one in its original location.
I moved from Goldendale in 1972. The lure of working for a lot of money as a welder in the Puget Sound region was too much to resist. I left the home of my youth for more than 35 years while making a living in the city. My life went well but I always missed the pace of life there. The memories.
I have now returned to spend perhaps the rest of my life in this area. To die as I was born. To rest with generations of relatives.
Things have really changed here. It’s not at all how I remember it. Being in some of the exact same places I was almost 40 years ago is a powerful thing. While walking through the city many memories were rekindled. Emotions that he hadn’t experienced for years resurfaced. Sometimes I was overwhelmed by the rush of memories and emotions.
I don’t think Goldendale is a worse place for a child to grow up today. Just different. From an adult point of view, things always look different. I guess I need to meet up with some of the young people, perhaps the children of relatives I lost touch with a long time ago, and get their perspective on growing up here in the 2000s. Chances are you’re pretty enlightened.
The industry has come and gone in this area. There were some boom times when aluminum manufacturing came to the region. Many well paying jobs. Then they closed and the good jobs disappeared. Goldendale Wa real estate was a hot topic for a while, although the real estate market has slowed down considerably in recent years. There seems to be an influx of retirement age people who are now Goldendale’s top real estate customers. Money from people from out of town looking for a good place to retire.
The local newspaper, The Goldendale Sentinel, is usually filled with ads for local real estate. There is no shortage of real estate for those with the money to buy. What’s in the newspaper is a dearth of help-seeking ads.
Many websites promote this town as a paradise for tourists and sportsmen. These are very informative websites that explain the past, present and future of this small town from a different perspective than I am capable of. Mine is of childhood memories shaken by the face of a reality forty years in the future. The old adage that “the more things change, the more they stay the same” is being put to the test here.
This city is steeped in Washington history. Much of this involves my great-great-grandparents and their descendants. I am historically tied to the success of Goldendale.
If any town in the United States deserves to be prosperous, it is this one. That is why I have chosen to return for my golden years. I run several websites and have named my vitamin sales page after the city. I just wanted to have a part of Goldendale in the 2000s. I want to spend my money here. I want to participate as an adult, not dream as a child.
