I came across this postcard recently. The postmark is from 1951 so I’m sure there are plenty of folks around who would remember these cabins. I want to say that route 31 is today’s route 136 but I’m not sure. My guess is that these cabins were located somewhere along the flat areas of Dry Run somewhere near Valley Inn. What do you think?
*edit* I talked to my dad briefly last night and he said that these cabins were located on the south side of Rt 136 about 1/4 mile or less west of Ringgold High School. (this is also confirmed by Eugene’s comment below). At one time these were owned by a Mr. Ford who also owned a small store and gas station along this stretch of the highway. Dad said these cabins were used by travelers looking for overnight lodging. I wonder though why the travelers wouldn’t just continue on to Monongahela and stay in one of the hotels there. Maybe the cabins were cheaper or more convenient. (Parking may have been an issue in downtown Monongahela; the population at the 1950 census was 10,387 – more than double what it is today with many more buildings standing at that time.)
I assume these cabins became less popular over the years as travelers forsook route 31 (currently route 136) for interstate 70. Before interstate 70 was constructed, the main east and west routes in this area were PA route 40 and PA route 31. And from examining old maps, I believe route 31 was the quickest way to get to the turnpike from Washington PA.
Construction of interstate 70 in our area began in 1953, finally connecting to the PA Turnpike in 1963,
Please comment if you remember these cabins. I would appreciate hearing about how they were used, who typically would stay there and how much it cost to stay in one.
