Christmases Past

This week three of my kids and I are home in North Platte for an early Christmas and for my niece’s wedding. We’ve had a wonderful time with family, lots of games, laughter, and cousins running wild. But today I wanted to share some photos and a short video from locations featured in Canteen Dreams (my first book, an award-winner that is on ebook sale on Amazon for 99¢ this month). Our first night in town, my mom and brother told me that the Pawnee Hotel had been open for an open house. That might not sound very interesting, but the hotel was built in 1929 and featured in several scenes in Canteen Dreams. However, at the time I wrote the book, I had to rely on photos, because the location was senior living apartments that were closed to the public.

It’s a beautiful old building, but it hasn’t had much loving attention for awhile. A couple years ago, one of my brothers and I talked about buying it as a restoration project. It has the potential to be an amazing location, but will require a lot of work.

I was delighted to get to walk through it during a second open house. The developer who bought it is committed to restoration, not gutting it and making it ultra modern. The Tom-Tom Room was a coffee house during WWII, and there’s a scene it in during the book. You can begin to get a sense of what it might have looked like in the photo below. The external sign had been covered for years, and has been revealed during the early stages of restoration.

There was a massive Christmas tree in the lobby of the hotel. There’s so much work still to be done, but I could catch glimpses of the potential.

The White Horse was a bar during the time of Canteen Dreams. This sign was covered during until the restoration began. I can’t wait to see what it’s like next time I’m back home.

And this is an image from the inside. The White Horse mural had been covered up, but is now visible to everyone who goes through. The developer’s plan is to open the restaurants and have storefronts before restoring the rooms and ballroom. (I really want to see the ballroom because key scenes happen there.)

Here’s an example of some of the detail all over the main level. It’s going to be gorgeous!

And here’s a quick video I made yesterday of the location of the Canteen. Unfortunately, the Union Pacific knocked down the building in the 70s, but it’s marked by a pavilion and benches.

You may be wondering what this has to do with Christmases past. The book starts the day before Pearl Harbor and goes beyond Christmas. I hope you enjoyed this quick look at the real places featured in Canteen Dreams! Praying you have a blessed Christmas with your family! I think we’ve all earned the break and time to enjoy some rest and peace.

What’s one of your favorite Christmases past?

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Cara Putman

An award-winning author of more than 40 books, Cara is a Clinical Associate Professor in business law and ehtics to graduate and undergraduate students at Purdue University. She lives with her husband, four children, a perfect cat, and a sweet yet rambunctious shelter puppy in Indiana.

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