Growng up in railroad depots

My Dad was a depot agent for the railroad. In those days they used telegraphy for communication for the trains.

In the small towns of Nebraska and South Dakota were I grew up, we lived in the living quarters of the town's depot. There was an office, a waiting room for customers and a area for freight where stock was stored for the town's businesses. The waiting room had wooden benches for the customers waiting for the train. I remember the colorful posters that the railroad put on the walls of locations throughout the country where the trains ran.

In the winter, the heat was generated by a pot bellied stove and the railroad provided the coal for the stove. I remember Mom used coal and corn cobs to heat the kitchen stove. She knew just how many she needed to keep the stove hot. There was a reservoir built into the stove for warm water. We didn't have hot running water from the tap, just cold. How things have changed just in my life.