The Railroad

Part 3

A Keith Pergler Photo

Trains played an important part in World War 1. In places far away in Europe they brought the injured and those that were killed in battle home.

Postcard sent from George Mattas in Germany to Joseph Mattas. Circa, 1918

The Railroad also was the avenue for the telegrams that arrived home.

From the Parkston Advance, 1918

The first of two Parkston soldiers to be lost in that war was Fred Unger.

The second was Wm. Schoessler, killed in the line of duty in France. His body lay in an unmarked grave until 1933, when friends applied for a marker, the marker arrived via the railroad.

Fred Unger, Parkston Advance Archives. Circa, 1917

My great uncle, George Mattas arrived safely home in 1919. It took him awhile to get there because of the shortage of trains! He writes to his folks in Milltown:

George Mattas, by the Jim River, Milltown, South Dakota. Circa, 1919

The railroad enjoyed the new prosperity of the “Roaring Twenties.” It brought entertainment to the area, the likes of which the citizens had probably never seen before.



Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! The Cole Brothers circus had their own railroad cars that pulled into town with much fanfare, as advertised in the Parkston Advance, 1924.

The circus, I think, impressed my dad, Pete Adkins. One of the first poems he taught me:

“I asked my dad for 25 cents,

 To see the elephant jump the fence.

He jumped so high; he reached the sky

Didn’t come back till the 4th of July.” 

Pete Adkins, Circa, 1924

He may have even been one of the local boys the circus hired to set up the big tent!

Circus Pictures, Cole Brothers Museum

The railroad not only brought entertainment to the community but provided transportation for people to attend festivities in other communities. One of the biggest draws was the Corn Palace Celebration in Mitchell.

My great aunt, Martha Adkins, who lived in Mitchell invited her niece, Helen Adkins to come by rail to see the newly decorated Corn Palace. She sent her the above postcard in 1921.

Another big event was the South Dakota State Fair. In 1924 you could ride the passenger car to Huron from Parkston and enjoy all the entertainment! 

Parkston Advance. Circa, 1924

In the 1920s, because of the railroad, the area was connected to outstanding medical facilities in the Midwest. One was the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In 1922, Marcus Adkins was taken ill. His brother, my grandfather Zina Adkins, upon the recommendation of a local doctor sought medical help at the Mayo Clinic. They boarded a train in Parkston and hoped for the best.

Zina Adkins handwritten accounts. Passenger train photo  from the South Dakota Historical Archives.  Circa, 1922

The diagnosis was not good, but the treatment provided at Mayo eased his suffering. Unfortunately, Marcus’ health became worse. Trying another avenue Zina took him to a second outstanding facility, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Sioux City. This time he booked a railroad "sleeper" car.

Marcus Adkins was taken from the depot by ambulance to St. Joseph’s Hospital in December of 1922.

My grandfather, Zina Adkins stayed in the Hotel Kelly in Sioux City for 56 days to be close to his brother.

Despite the care he received there, Marcus passed in 1923. He was placed in a casket by Wescott Undertaking in Sioux City and sent home via the Milwaukee Railroad to be buried in Milltown. Sometimes a railroad car became hearse.

Zina, left, and Marcus Adkins. Circa, 1900s

The 1920s appeared prosperous for the railroad. But there was a looming threat to the railroad - highways and motor vehicles.  The Parkston Advance reported in August of 1926 that highway 44 was about to be improved!

The Mattas family embraced this new mode of transportation! 

Mayme in the middle and Lil Mattas next to her in the backseat. Others unknown. Circa, 1920s

1920s road picture from the South Dakota Public Transportation Archives.

By the end of the 1920s there was an even greater threat to the railroad’s economics – the “Great Depression” and “Dust Bowl” that devastated farmland. Despite the major downturn, and a filing for bankruptcy, the Milwaukee Railroad continued to provide vital services to the community.

There were two freight and four passenger trains a day - three going south and three north. The passenger trains became “commuter” trains. Young people could get employment in other communities when any work was treasured. My friend, Susan (Winter) Buxcel tells the story of her mother, Rosalie (Weidenbach) Winter being a teacher in Tripp in the 1930s. She could get on the train in the morning for work and be home by dinnertime in Parkston. 

Rosalie (Weidenbach) Winter

Picture of a South Dakota dust storm from the South Dakota Historical Society Archives. Circa, 1930s

Hoboes hitching a ride. From the National Archives. Circa, 1930s

Some passengers in the 1930s didn’t pay - hoboes. The great depression hit, and the railroad became vital in a new way, transporting thousands of unemployed across the United States, looking for work. They would jump into or on top of freight cars, hoping the “bulls” (guards hired by the railroad) would leave them alone. 

My great grandmother, Vincencia Mattas, now a widow, lived only a short distance from the railroad in Parkston.

The hoboes would come to her back porch. First, they would ask her if she had any work. Most often, she did not. But she always had a sandwich, or a piece of cake and a drink for them.

The same went for Susan Buxcel's grandmother, Lydia Tiede Weidenbach, who lived only a few blocks from the railroad.

 More than likely, there were other grand women in the town who acted with equal compassion.

Vincencia Mattas

Lydia Weidenbach

Whenever there are difficult times, something comes along to remind us there will be better times ahead. Such were the advertisements for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1934.

 A.J. Gorman, Milwaukee Railroad ticket agent in Parkston promoted a trip to the Great Fair for a reasonable fare!

He told the story of being a “bouncer” for the Hurly Burly (burlesque) side show, including protecting its top performer- none other than Sally Rand. 

He told the story of being a “bouncer” for the Hurly Burly (burlesque) side show, including protecting its top performer- none other than Sally Rand. 

Pete Adkins.  Circa, 1930s

Pete Adkins.  Circa, 1930s

Sally Rand, 1930s. Chicago Tribune Archives

Postcard  from Chicago, 1934

I have no idea how my father, Pete Adkins, got to Chicago. More than likely it was by train, but to Chicago he went. A young man in his early twenties, not a lot of work available in South Dakota, he got a job at the Fair!

Due to the improved weather conditions and World War II, the “glory days” of the railroad survived for a time in the 1940s. Commodities had to be shipped, scrap metal collected, gasoline was in short supply for motor vehicles and troops needed to be transported.

From the Parkston Advance, 1943.

My cousin, LaVae (Marguardt) Rauscher remembers riding the train to Cheyenne, Wyoming and then on to California in the 1940s with her little sister, Amie and their mother, Helen (Mize) Rauscher. It was a long journey to visit our grandparents Amelia (Mattas) and John Mize. There were no fancy dining cars, you brought your food and drinks, and they slept on the hard seats. 

LaVae and Amie Rauscher. Circa, 1940s

“The train was full of soldiers,” LaVae said. They were on their way to a much harder journey. 

The Railroad Story continues for the final episode in June.

Special thanks to these resources: The Chicago Tribune Archives, Hutchinson County Register of Deeds, South Dakota State Historical Society, the Center for Western Studies, Augustana University, Mitchell Area Historical Society, archives of the Parkston Advance, Ray Doering, and Terry Grajkowske.