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Amtrak fiasco 2007, part II: Lure of history

Contributed by: Stan Dyer on 6/30/2007

June 28, 2007

Amtrak Fiasco 2007: Part II

The Lure of History

By Stan Dyer

I developed an attraction to real American history at Indiana University. Since that time, I have had a difficult time whenever the "lure" hit me. Once we decided on a trip to Washington, D.C., the lure hit, and I had to start poking into research. I discovered Washington Union Station, which connected to Union Station in Chicago, which connected to Denver, and all were connected by the railroad.

It's difficult to imagine now, but there was a time in the history of this country when the major highways were the rivers and streams. People didn't travel that much and most Americans never ventured farther than 20 miles from where they were born in their entire lifetime. The railroads changed that and helped bring America into the modern age.

In 1830, the first steam powered passenger train, "The Best Friend of Charleston", carried 141 passengers six miles at the outrageous speed of 20 mph. It was the start of passenger train service in America. At a time when most people still walked to get from place to place and the world moved much more slowly, 20 mph was frightening speed. People got used to it. Soon, Boston and Baltimore would join Charleston and travel by rail became more and more popular.

By 1840, there were 2,818 miles of track down. That number tripled each of the next two decades and by 1870 there were 54,000 miles of track across the United States. Despite sectional conflict and the Civil war, Chinese coolies from the Central Pacific Railroad managed to meet up with the Union Pacific's Irish crews at Promontory Point in Utah on May 10, 1869. The first transcontinental railroad was completed connecting California with the East Coast and avoiding the boat trip around South America. The boom was on.

Trains became the most important means of transportation for decades to come. Almost all major cities built a Union Station and two of the greatest were in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois.

Designed by architect Daniel Burnham in the Beaux-Arts style, the DC Union Station was completed in 1908 and covered more land than any other building in the United States. It was also the largest train station in the world. The Presidential Suite first used by President Taft was used over the years to welcome such dignitaries as King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, King Albert of Belgium, King Prajadipok of Siam, Queen Marie of Rumania and King Haasan II of Morocco. The last president to use the suite was President Eisenhower. The Station also received the train carrying the casket of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1945.

The Union Station in Chicago was designed by the same architect and in the same style as the Union Station in Washington, D.C. It opened in May of 1925 as one of the largest in the world covering 10 city blocks. The glory days for Chicago's Union Station were during the mobilization for World War II in the 1940's. At that time, it was not uncommon for the station to see 300 trains and to process 100,000 passengers in a single day. Well maintained, The Great Hall of the Station still serves a variety of functions and still reflects the grandeur of the glory days of rail travel. With history like that, I was excited for my adventure. Things didn't turn out quite was planned.

My planned stopover in Chicago was scheduled for four hours and I was to have even more time in Washington while exploring all of the museums of the Smithsonian, all of the National Monuments and all of the historic architecture of the capital city. Instead, my train from Denver was over 10 hours late. That cut down the time in Chicago and eliminated the time in Washington. It is difficult to stay on an itinerary when you run 10 hours late.

Nonetheless, the lure of history is still strong and I will find my way back to both those great cities. The next time, however, I will plan more time for exploring and I will do more advance research. Next time, I will also plan on flying.


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Stan Dyer

Arvada , CO

Stan Dyer has posted 835 stories and 101 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. Stan Dyer 's average story rating is 4.92.
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