Writing Wednesday: The Heritage of Hope, Part 2

Over the last week, I worked pretty consistently on our paper for the annual CHAT meeting in Innsbruck at the end of the month. In fact, I’ve passed it on to my wife, who is my writing partner in this project, for fact checking, revision, and images. I posted the first part of the paper last week, and I then shifted to the final two sections. I’m happy enough with it as a first attempt to narrate (and, in a modest way) analyze the post-war small town. I’m getting increasingly keen to refine and expand this paper into something more substantive. That sounds like a sabbatical plan! Hope and the Cold War Consumer The transformation of the urban landscape of Grand Forks did not stop at civic amenities, new styles, and materials. As housing extended to the south, so did commercial spaces. New shopping centers stretched along the southern reach of Washington Street and in 1964, Grand Forks welcomed its first indoor shopping mall: South Forks Plaza. Constructed by the same architectural…