From its beginnings as muddy thoroughfare during the city's earliest days, Market Street has been a hub of activity in Chattanooga. Today's decentralized & online economy scarely hints of its past retail glory.
Both photos were scanned at 1200dpi from 8x10" prints made in the mid-1940s. The 1939 view is remarkably detailed. The movie shown on Rialto Theater's marquee reveals the year for us. Spoilers of the Range (1939)
The older image is a Stokes photo (#719), although I have not seen it published other than as a postcard. It is likely from 1917 - marking the same year the US joined the Allies against the German Empire entering WWI.
Brick surrounding the trolley tracks gives way to pavement more suitable for cars.
