055
Item
-
Title
-
055
-
Transcription
-
TRAINS
The transcontinental railroads in the late 1800's, put the covered wagon, the stage coach, and the pony express out of business. Travel across the United States and the transportation of household goods, and building materials, brought fast development along the main lines. The development of the shorter railroads that branched off the main lines, brought many homesteaders to Western Nebraska.
Some of my most vivid memories are related to the steam locomotive. It was the only mode of travel that was available, when I was a boy, that could go faster than a horse. My parents moved all they owned by rail to their homestead. My father earned extra money with his teams by working for the railroad. We were able to get needed supplies by rail, and one of our greatest fears was to have a prairie fire that would be set by a steam locomotive.
One of the thrills of my life was my first ride on a train. At 5:00 O'clock in the morning. Dad calls out to me, "It is time to get up, get your pants on," We are going to make a trip to Uncle Henry's today and pick buffalo berries and choke cherries. My parents had been doing this every year since they came to Crawford. I was 5 years old, now, and old enough to go with them. My brother, Lawrence and I have had to stay with the neighbor while the folks made the annual trip to pick some of the wild cherries for jams and jelly for the next winter.
It was a warm September morning, and Dad hitches Charlie, the dapple gray horse, to the small one-seated buggy and we drove the 5 miles to Crawford. He puts Charlie in the livery stable and we board the train for Andrews, a little town with a post office, a general store, and the depot for the North Western railroad. Uncle Henry, Dad's brother, lives only a few miles from here, over very rough roads. He had taken a homestead at about the same time my folks moved to Crawford, in 1907.
I remember very little about picking berries. I do know, that when we finished we were so late that Uncle Henry had to get his team to a gallop to reach the depot before the train left for Crawford.
On the 4th. [sic] of July 1913, Mumsie wanted to go with a church group for a picnic at Glenn, Nebraska. This resort and picnic area was 12 miles from Cawford [sic] on White River.
-
Rights
-
To inquire about usage, please contact Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. These images are for educational use only. Not all images are available for publication.
Metzger Memories
