MULBERRY, ARKANSAS

Mulberry, Arkansas
1940 - 2012

When I was a kid coming to Town with my Dad to sell or trade produce, or maybe get a store bought haircut at Gene and Shorty's Barber Shop, the town of Mulberry, Arkansas seemed like a busy city to a small country boy of 5 or 6. I can't recall parking being a problem but it was much busier than our 360-acre farm about 20 miles away.

The street scene changed a little over the years. There were few changes to storefronts but the parked cars slowly became more early 50's than the 1940's vintage seen in the photograph. Many, like Dad's, were old pickup's with cattle racks on the back. I remember the big store on the right side of the unmarked street was a Five and Dime. We never had a dime but that didn't stop us from going inside and looking at all the neat toys and stuff!

The building on the left side was our Bank, though I doubt Dad and Mom ever had much in it! We always enjoyed seeing the Cowboy roam the street, when we came to town. Seems like he was always there walking in and out of every store, greeting employees and customers like they were old friends. He was dressed up like Roy Rogers; a white Stetson hat on his head, button up long sleeved western shirt with a bandana tied around his neck, jeans and flashy cowboy boots with Spurs on the heels. To complete the Cowboy look he wore a kid's Gun and Holster outfit with twin Six-Shooters and fake bullets attached to the belt, ready to be used if make-believe bandits came to town. He might have worn a Sheriff's star; I can't be sure. But he was, in his own mind, a town hero who looked out for others and kept the peace.

I don't know how old he was. As a little kid during those days, I "looked up" at most everyone, but he was a man, probably around 25 or 30 years old, in a physical sense. But mentally he was still a kid who played "Cowboys and Indians" like we did.

Today, 2012, about 65 years later, the streets of Mulberry are virtually vacant. To snap this street scene, I stand in the middle of the street, inside the unmarked "Round-a-bout" people once used to be able to turn around in, to park on the other side of the street. Stores have closed and deteriorated. Gene and Shorty have passed on and the Barber Shop has closed. The Cowboy is gone; only his image and memory remains in the minds of those who met him.

As I reflect upon all of this, it amazes me how quickly a city can turn from booming to bombing. Although more people now live in Mulberry than ever before, the stores remain vacant. With the building of Interstate Highway 40, people can live farther away from work, yet still be only a short time away from shopping and jobs in other cities.

.....just noticing how things change and remembering,
The Good 'Ol Days.