The American Red Cross canteens provided services to members of the military during both WWI and WWII. Many of the canteens were in railway stations to serve the soldiers and sailors on the troop trains passing through.
These two postcards show the Red Cross canteens at the two Minneapolis, Minnesota railway stations during WWII. The postcards were furnished through the courtesy of the Minneapolis-Moline Power Implement Company.
Minneapolis no longer has any railway stations. The Milwaukee Road Station was closed in 1971. At its peak, the station served 29 trains per day. It was not demolished, but it was vacant for many years. Finally, a project to reuse the buildings was begun in 1998 and completed in 2001. The Great Northern Station was demolished in 1978. Passenger train service had declined from a peak of 125 daily trains during World War II to just one route when Amtrak began operation in 1971.
The video below is about the WWII Aberdeen (South Dakota) Railway Station Red Cross Canteen. (Aberdeen is about 275 miles west of Minneapolis).
A couple of my previous posts also dealt with WWII Canteens:
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I checked the timetables for Minneapolis/St Pauls and yes, its a pretty sad demise for rail transport USA. But I like the bridge...at least they left that. Must call at Aberdeen for a pheasant sandwich sometime...I insist on bread sauce and fried breadcrumbs with my pheasant, and the bird must be hung at least a week. hope they can oblige.
ReplyDeleteThe vid and postcards are very much on theme. You nailed it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteYou really have a great collection!!
:)~
HUGZ
I've read about US Red Cross Canteens in another blog previously, but I'm not sure whether it was a Sepia Saturday posting or not. It certainly didn't have such fine postcards, or the pheasant sandwich video!
ReplyDeleteA great contribution for thee theme.
ReplyDeleteBetween the pheasant sandwich and those leather chairs, the canteen seems like a pleasant place to spend a few hours.
ReplyDeletewhat an interesting post. I thought I had seen a TV program about this a few years ago, but I don't remember them mentioning anything about the pheasant sandwiches - maybe it was another railway station town. That's amazing how the people came together to perform this wonderful service. But I pity the poor pheasants!
ReplyDeleteNancy
You always have such great postcards & I loved the video about the Aberdeen Railway Canteen during WWII & the pheasant sandwiches. My husband hunts pheasant & they make a delicious dinner. I'll have to try making sandwiches the next time we have some leftover IF we have some leftover, that is! Thanks for a fun & informative post!
ReplyDeleteYou always have such great postcards & I loved the video about the Aberdeen Railway Canteen during WWII & the pheasant sandwiches. My husband hunts pheasant & they make a delicious dinner. I'll have to try making sandwiches the next time we have some leftover IF we have some leftover, that is! Thanks for a fun & informative post!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post and timely since it was the anniversary of D Day this week!!
ReplyDeleteThis post perfectly matches the theme.
ReplyDeletePheasant sandwich is a treat I must try. Great video of Aberdeen.
ReplyDeleteYou continually amaze me with your selection of post cards. You have every theme covered! So how many post cards are in your collection?
ReplyDeleteVery itting for this week especially with the D Day annual recall. I have never eaten pheasant although some in the family did hunt them...do you have thousands of postcards and all organized by type? How long have you collected? In New Orleans, the National WWII Museum has a diner very similar to the one in the first postcard.
ReplyDeleteSuch A Shame That Rail Transport Has Declined in The States.A Very Civilised Way To Travel.
ReplyDeleteRail was the only way in WW2 that soldiers and sailors could travel. The military bases of the time had none of the benefits and support that modern service people get, so those Red Cross canteens were an important and much appreciated source of comfort.
ReplyDeleteFinding this very interesting re my own contribution this week as in my photo I had women in nurses' uniforms but serving coffee and cake...
ReplyDeleteLoved the movie and Pheasant salad sandwiches...especially how they were donated!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barb
It's just tragic when you think of all the rail stations and lines that have been abandoned and destroyed. Infrastructure that should be renovated instead of needing to start from scratch.
ReplyDeleteThose are wonderful cards and a fascinating little film.
An interesting film - amazing that volunteers would work a 24 hour shift!
ReplyDeleteWas a very good post and the video was great.Thanks
ReplyDelete