SUNDAY, AUGUST 26, 2018
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wcfcourier.com
Story OF US
GROUT MUSEUM ARCHIVES
A view of West Fourth and Jefferson streets, Waterloo, circa 1942
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A PICTORIAL HISTORY OF THE CEDAR VALLEY Part II: 1940s-1960s MELODY PARKER
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melody.parker@wcfcourier.com
istory isn’t a dusty archive of dates, places and events to be recited on a pop quiz. “History is who we are and why we are the way we are,” said historian and author David McCullough. It is a collection of stories, memories and facts held and shared by individuals, families and groups that helped shape a community and gave it a strong foundation to build on. From the 1940s to ‘60s, the Cedar Valley became an industrial and commercial center. Major highways and automobiles, as well as railroads connected communities to the larger world outside our state borders, including Chicago and Minneapolis. Downtowns became thriving retail and business centers. Residential neighborhoods sprang up, and communities grew outward. The Cedar Valley sent its “greatest generation” to fight and win a global war, followed by the Korean War in the 1950s, and the Vietnam War in the 1960s. These were decades of prosperity and protests, improved and better access to medical care and the struggle for
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The photos in this and the final installment of the Story of Us series have been culled from the Courier’s “Cedar Valley Memories” book series. The three hardcover books, featuring the storied history of the Cedar Valley, are available for purchase. Find out how to get your own set of “Cedar Valley Memories” books on page 15. WATERLOO-CEDAR FALLS COURIER
My Waterloo Days parade, June 2, 1989. the empowerment of workers, minorities and women. Opportunities for education, entertainment, recreation and celebration kept people in the Cedar Valley active and involved. When disaster struck, people came together to save their community.
In the second installment of a three-part series, “The Story of Us,” the photographs tell the story of the people, their livelihoods and community during these three tumultuous and exciting decades. This is the Story of Us.
Watch for the final installment September — More than 125 years of pictorial history, including recent memories.