What an old smelter meant to me growing up
When I was growing up in Douglas, Arizona there was a smelter that was the center of the community. It employed our fathers and grandfathers. Its company had a mercantile at the busiest intersection of downtown. Everywhere you went, there were signs of why it was part of all of our lives. Each day you could see the smoke laying low over the tallest buildings. Each night, the shadow of the stacks were symbols that represented why our community existed.
And then, the smelter closed. I was a kid when that happened so I didn’t immediately feel the impact or foresee what would happen to the place I call home. I’m sure the adults were nervous. People lost jobs and as the years passed on, businesses closed. The historic downtown district became quieter.
This story could be told of many Mainstreet communities in our country. Businesses come and go, seemingly overnight. Communities are a little sturdier. They tend to hang on even if they are wounded. A smelter closing could feel like a punch in the gut, but you manage to keep on keeping on.
This all comes to mind as I think of how resilient we are as people. When a big company closes its doors, we manage to open our own little doors. Little doors may produce smaller…
