Highway Ten used to go through Staples, but they've built a bypass. I don't like that. The charm of Ten consists of going right through the towns whenever possible. Otherwise, you miss signs like this:

Always gave Lefty's a nod and a wave when I passed through. If you take the route through town, you'll also see the old movie theater - the marquee isn't as impressive as some we'll see soon. Unlike many other small town theaters which have been showing a double bill of "Closed" and "Thanks for your Patronage" for the last few years, the Staples theater is still showing new movies.

Ancient downtown sign for a long-gone department store:

The store was mentioned in a plan to redevelop downtown; it's a great asset, and if I recall correctly also served as an opera house. An opera house! O, those uncultured hick pioneers, eh. Fun fact: for a while in its early history, Staples was known as Presto. The bypass has one virtue: it takes you right past the old train station.

There's something you don't see off the Interstate. (admission: old photo from a few years ago; it's been spiffed up since.) On to Verndale. It has one of the smaller, sadder downtowns I saw on the trip.

It was closed. So was the town's grocery store:

You hate to see that. Now everyone has to drive up the road for groceries, and the town's lost a place where people ran into other people, and passed the time. The bar's open:

Up the street there's a small park, with a WWI memorial:

At first I was horrified by the long list of names, but it turns out they're the boys who served, not a list of dead. How many returned - and were subsequently carried off by the Spanish Flu - I've no idea.

One last look at Verndale, where the V on the park shelter meets the endless sky -

. . . and we're back on the road. Next stop: Wadena!