Before interstate highways transformed travel and transportation, railroads connected communities across the country, carrying passengers, mail, freight, and livestock. In places like Parkman, railroad depots were busy centers of activity, and skilled depot agents kept everything running smoothly.
In this Voices of Our History interview, Christie Robinson, née Hayworth, shares memories of growing up in a family closely connected to the railroad depots around Parkman. She recalls watching her father receive and translate train orders sent by Morse code, coordinating northbound and southbound trains traveling on the same tracks, and the challenges of helping locomotives climb a steep hill near the depot.
Christie also describes the important role railroads played in the region’s agricultural economy, including the stockyards and cattle cars used to ship beef cattle to Chicago. Her firsthand memories offer a fascinating look at the people, skills, and daily routines that kept Sheridan County connected to the rest of the country.
