Like an earlier reader, I was impressed with the Brainerd History story covered by the Brainerd Dispatch. The ghostly pictures of the blacksmith shop really struck me as, at one time, I used to wander through that shop to warm up in winter months and to feel the floor and whole building shake when the steam hammer struck and to chat with the smithies and to check on their goldfish (all the way from the Minnesota State Fair) which they kept well-fed in their fresh water quenching tanks. What happened to the tools, the men, and the work that once thrived there? Don't railroads use grab irons and sill steps anymore? Very strange. Did I miss the photos of the empty spaces at the paper mill or weren't there any such photos?
Very strange. After looking at the blacksmith shop photos, I just had to watch Steve Crowder's "Detroit in ruins" YouTube video one more time. I would recommend it for your enlightenment and possible enjoyment. Warning: it is pretty scary and pretty sad.
Stephen A. Busch
Woodbury
