Depot fundraiser Sunday, July 22
Tue, 07/17/2018 - 3:04pm
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A former Clearbrook depot resident Jill Flateland will be at the Annual Community Picnic and Clearbrook Depot Fundraiser on Sunday, July 22.
Flateland will be speaking at 4:00 p.m. and music will be provided by Chris Holm from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. There will be a free will picnic dinner, with a $5.00 suggested donation, of pulled pork sandwiches with chips, beans, coleslaw, bars and beverages.
Jill has authored three books, Chugs & Hugs: Growing Up In a Train Station, Volumes 1,2,& 3, about the Soo Line Depot. Her father, Lyle C. Williams was a depot agent in Clearbrook from January 1955 to March 1961. After serving in Clearbrook for six years, Lyle became the Soo Line agent in Oklee until 1968.
Chugs and Hugs is a true story of her father, who grew up in rural Wisconsin during the Depression and World War II. His father died from a ruptured appendix during the days before antibiotics. Lyle took over his father’s role as a railroad telegrapher and handed over his paycheck to his widowed mother. He joined the Soo Line Railroad in 1942 and was married in 1948. They moved to Minnesota and raised a family of five while living above the railroad depot.
Jill states, “having grown up with trains passing only six feet from my bedroom window, a flood of memories rush through me every time I hear a whistle blow, or the clickity-clack of the steel wheels gliding over the tracks. I’ve painted a colorful portrait of life where family events intricately weave with daily railroad activities. My earliest memories are of the mighty steam engine chugging through town with a cadence like a heartbeat, their pistons clanking a steady rhythm as steam rolled from the exhaust ports. Coal dust filled the air and cinders flew into one’s eyes. I’ll never forget the smell of coal mixed with oil and hot metal.
During the early days, the depot was the hub of city life. Nearly everyone passed by it daily. They shipped their grain, pulpwood, dry goods, and cattle via rail. Passenger trains ran twice a day and carried the mail faster than ever before.”
Jill and her youngest sister Cindy will be attending the event sharing memories.
In case of rain, the picnic will be moved to the American Legion Room at the Clearbrook Community Center.