|  The
Wakefield area was settled primarily by Swedish and German families.
Wakefield, incorporated in 1881, was named after L. W. Wakefield, a
railroad surveyor who platted the original townsite. Because of
the area's abundant water supply and rolling fertile hills, crop and
livestock production quickly prospered.
Along with the increase in farming came the need for irrigation and
well digging which led to the Salmon Well Company that has operated
in Wakefield for more than 75 years. In 1882 the local newspaper
and other businesses were established. The Wakefield Brickyard
produced many of the bricks used for the buildings. The J.O. Milligan
Roller Mills was built on nearby Logan Creek and became a regional business,
drawing various other trades to Wakefield. Two branch lines of
the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha railroads converged at
Wakefield. The large amount of stock and grain shipped and passenger
traffic made it one of the busiest rail districts in northeast Nebraska.
Milton G. Waldbaum bought a local creamery in 1950. He and his
partner, Dan Gardner, built the Waldbaum Company into a $200 million
international egg producer and frozen food business in Wakefield.
The need for schools, churches, and activities increased with the number
of new businesses and growing population. Baseball, churches,
and an excellent school system became Wakefield's priorities. 
Clarence Swanson, a Wakefield High graduate, was named an All-American
end on the 1921 University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) football team.
He later founded several large companies and served three terms on the
UNL Board of Regents. Wakefield continues to be politically active.
Larry Brock, a local farmer, served in the U.S. Congress in the 1950s.
Wakefield Heritage Organization
Website: http://www.wakefieldheritage.org/
Wakefield Photo Gallery: http://www.gardnerpubliclibrary.com/Q125/
Email: wakefieldheritage@gmail.com
 The
Wakefield Heritage Organization, a non-profit organization, was organized
in 2000 and designated a future museum to be located in the City of
Wakefield in 2002 with the purpose of educating and instructing the
public about the history and heritage of Wakefield, Nebraska and the
surrounding area. The
Wakefield Heritage Organization's mission shall be to collect, preserve,
and display objects relating to Wakefield history; and to encourage
participation in maintaining the history of Wakefield. In carrying
out the objectives and purposes of the WHO as a corporation organized
not for profit, it will remain exempt within the provisions of Section
501(c)(3), 26 U.S.C.A. Internal Revenue Code.
 Promoting
the uniqueness and history of our city and rural Wakefield, is our
current focus and the principal way
we convey an overall message of preservation of our heritage. We
have a museum and recognition of mementos and pictures of the past. Our
mission is to celebrate our wonderful heritage.
Individuals are entitled to join our organization, voice their own
opinions, and provide us with knowledge of the history of Wakefield. For
further information or to join, feel free to contact: Wakefield
Heritage Organization, PO Box 216, Wakefield, NE 68784-0216.
Glass slides were found by Terry Henschke, owner, in the floor joists
of the Kimball family home in Wakefield. View the glass
slides to see what the Wakefield Heritage Organization would
like to make the museum look like.
The Depot
 If
you ask the residents of Wakefield, they all are aware that at one
time a railroad ran through town, but what many of them don't know
is the history behind it. In 1880, Phil Graves deeded part of
his land to the Sioux City and Nebraska Railroad Company for one dollar,
so that a railroad could run through Wakefield. Construction
on the train station began in the spring of 1881, and was deeded to
the town in December of that same year.
Train service was a vital part of Wakefield's economy
for many years. Although stock and grain shipments took up a
large portion of its service, there was also some passenger trains. At
one time a train passed through town 24 times a day. When the
1930's came along, trucking companies began transporting the goods
that were once popularly transported by the train. This greatly
contributed to the decline in the use of the railroad. Passenger
services ended in the early 40's, while freight service lasted until
1977. In March of that same year, the residents of Wakefield
gathered at the train station to watch the Chicago Northwestern Transportation
Company train depart, ending the 96 years of train service to Wakefield.
The architecture of the old Railroad depot has changed
greatly since the days of transporting goods from city to city. The
roof is cross gable with shingles, back when the train station was
still in use the roof was made up of wooden shingles. The sides
of the building at one time were made up of wooden planks, and now
are made of stucco and brick, so that the structure could remain standing. The
windows are 4 by 4 sash with transom windows above the door, and the
doors have plain trim on them. There is a closed porch on the
west side of the building. The train depot was being used as
storage shed for Waldbaums/Michael Foods. In January 2006, they
donated to the City of Wakefield the Train Deport for a museum.
The following was ran in the Wayne Herald in February
2005:
Depot, vibrant hub in Wakefield for 96 years, will
become museum
 Train
service played a major part in the birth of towns across the country
and that was also true in Wakefield's history. The train track
ran through the town and was completed from Sioux City, Iowa, to Wakefield
in 1881. The depot was built that same year and finished January
1, 1882. The first depot was made of clapboard which didn't
hold up very well so around 1925, a second depot was built on the
same spot as the first one.
The railroad was an important part of Wakefield's growth, soon after
it was built through the town, there was a need for more hotels to
accommodate passengers who were waiting for connections. J.F.
Slinger's hotel had a restaurant in it to help take care of hungry
travelers, as well as Mrs. C. Porter's restaurant that was at the
depot.
Harold Tell of Branson, Mo., (originally of Wakefield), remembers
being at the depot when he was about 5 or 6 years old and hiding under
the ticket booth with his friends. They would listen to the
telegraph and Tell would dream of what it would be like to run one. Eventually
he did. He worked for Northwestern Railroad for 40 years, part
of that time as a telegrapher and 35 years as a corporate officer. Tell
noted there were 22 to 28 trains a day that came through Wakefield
in the late 1920s and early CEOs; six to eight of those were passenger
trains and the rest were for freight.
Tell said that sometimes whole oil trains from oil fields in Wyoming
came through, as well as cattle trains from cattle yards in Long Pine. The
route for the trains was from Omaha to Emerson, then to Wakefield
where there was a split and track went to Bloomfield or to Wayne;
from Wayne the track went on to Winter, SD. Tell moved away
from Wakefield in 1949.
Around 1940, trains in and out of the town no longer carried passengers,
only freight until March 15, 1977, when the last Chicago Northwestern
Transportation Company train came through. The M.G. Waldbaum
Co. (now Michael Foods, Inc.) had storage and offices there after
that time.
For many years, the depot was the hub for people and freight in and
out of Wakefield. With large stock and grain shipments, as well
as passengers, the depot was a busy spot. Both the drought and
the development of truck lines helped bring the decline of railway
service.
Recently, Michael Foods gave the depot a $5,000 for renovation
to W.H.O. (Wakefield Heritage Organization) to be used as a museum. Lefty
Olson's Wakefield Memorabilia as well as old railroad items from Harold
Tell will be at the museum.
Related Links:
-- Top --
|
