Rural Reflections

Sitting by myself in the early morning hours, it is easy to let my mind wander back in time. There is something about Christmas and winter that creates an open gateway to reminisce about trains. We normally circle the Christmas tree with model trains, maybe that is the main reason. It is a good subject to focus on as I let my mind slip from where I am to from where I originated.

I grew up in Viking, a town shaped by agriculture, the pipeline and the railroad. The locations for most communities in this area was due to train service. I interviewed a few people from Viking 15 years ago and some of them mentioned that the train was often the only way to get to Thief River Falls or Warren during the winter, or when roads were sloppy in spring. Farmers would cut wild grass and pack train cars full which would go off to feed animals in other parts of the country.

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