Washtucna is dying

[squirl033]

passed through the little town of Washtucna on the way to Palouse Falls the other day... had to be one of the most depressing places i've been in years. half the buildings in town were shuttered, deserted, and decaying... the only one that showed any real signs of life was a tavern with 4 shiny motorcycles parked out front, and i'd bet my next paycheck if i had one that those belonged to tourists on their way to or from somewhere else. the 2010 census says they have 208 people there... i saw only one person on the street, a guy sitting on a bench on the sidewalk, elbows on his knees, looking at the pavement... a look of utter despair. can't say as i blame him...

[JDueckPhoto]

good place for a portrait shoot...

[Tony S]

You saw a real live person there? When I stopped along the road there for a break in my drive last fall there was no one visible, but there was a nice flock of turkeys in one of the front yards of a house that looked inhabited.
It used to be quite a thriving little community 30 years ago, but even the main small grocery store they used to have is now closed.

[JaniceL]

Little towns come and go. So sad, a ghost town in the making.

[Christine]

sad to see towns close up... but I like the pictures... what hwy does the town sit?

[L.L. Heim.]

Washtucna's off of SR 26 in Eastern Washington between Othello and Pullman. Other than the bar, the coffee shop-snack bar-quickie mart-antique shop-gas station on the corner by the highway is the happening place. The Washington State Patrol keeps busy there as well. They love to catch speeders coming through town on SR 260 from Kahlotus (another dying town).

[dschaecher]

Great shots. On the third shot, I couldn't help but not the telephone pole on the far right. Was it really bent like that or was the camera playing tricks?

[squirl033]

thanks, everyone! Dale, as i recall, that telephone pole had a pretty good list to it... i had a 24-135 on, but even at the wide end, the lens distortion isn't enough to make it bend that way.