A Stroll Down Main Street

 

I know I have mentioned previously that am a fan of Sinclair Lewis!  Since I live in Minnesota, a road trip to Sauke Centre (his hometown) has been on my literary bucket list. Last weekend, my husband and I were finally able to take that trip! 

After the publication of Main Street Sinclair Lewis did not initially have a good relationship with his hometown.  The book was essentially satirizing his experience growing up there which the town did not initially welcome.  However today his history with the town is a trademark which Sauke Centre has come to embrace.  This is very evident as we were greeted with road signs like The Original Main Street and Sinclair Lewis Avenue.

While his boyhood home has been preserved as a historic site, the doors are not open to the public at this point in time.  However, it was still a great opportunity to peek at the house. Having lived in the Midwest most of my life, I can attest that it is an ordinary old small town midwestern house. However, this does not negate the extraordinary feeling that comes from being able to be around the same building that a favorite author once lived in!

 

Lunch at Palmer House was a treat! While the ordinary bar food was good, the atmosphere was very notable.  Since it was where Sinclair Lewis had his first job as a hotel clerk, displays paying a tribute to his life were on display. I did find it quite laughable that the only bookstore in town is a Christian bookstore, however the Palmer House did have many of Sinclair Lewis’s books for sale in addition to other books of local interest.

            

 

Another piece of trivia that I learned about this particular hotel was that it has quite a reputation as a haunted hotel! While I have no personal sightings to report, I was enthusiastic to learn that it is considered to be one of the most haunted places in Minnesota.  This of course fuels my imagination that loves horror stories with supernatural beings!

 

While it is an ordinary small town in Minnesota, any fan of Sinclair Lewis would appreciate spending an afternoon in the town that churned out a man with an extraordinary impact on American literature!

 Since Sauk Centre is a small town being there for only a day was quite sufficient!  However, I am not into camping, and the Sinclair Lewis Campground overlooks the Sauk Lake. People who are looking for a campsite by a lake would likely find a weekend getaway enjoyable there. However, I am a huge fan of walking by bodies of water and I really enjoyed an opportunity for a Saturday afternoon stroll by the lake!