Today's Parade magazine (in Sunday newspapers) has an article on the North Platte canteen during WW II. A new book "Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen" (by William Morrow) will be released this week.

It's the destruction of the historical North Platte facility that qualifies my praise for Union Pacific's historical awareness even with the commendable efforts wih the steam program and the UP museum and archives. Railroads can't save everything but this is one that should not have slipped away.

denmeg_hogan@msn.com

> It's the destruction of the historical North
> Platte facility that qualifies my praise for
> Union Pacific's historical awareness even
> with the commendable efforts wih the steam
> program and the UP museum and archives.
> Railroads can't save everything but this is
> one that should not have slipped away.

In all fairness, it was torn down 25-30 years ago, long before the Canteen and it's accomplishments/significance were recognized and understood anywhere except by a few locals in the area. Had the canteen story been told nationally in the 1970's, the place would most likely still be there.

> In all fairness, it was torn down 25-30
> years ago, long before the Canteen and it's
> accomplishments/significance were recognized
> and understood anywhere except by a few
> locals in the area. Had the canteen story
> been told nationally in the 1970's, the
> place would most likely still be there.

I can vouch that the North Platte Canteen was a busy place. I made 8 trips into NP during WW2
and it was really gratifying to see so many people including the typical cowboys and their wives coming in with arm loads of books or home cooked stuff for the canteen. No telling how far some of them had to come to bring their stuff in.
Jim



rrfanjim@mvn.net