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Montana to the Northwest of the US. Trains
were now connecting communities, carrying
grains and allowing passengers to spend a day
in town to shop and work in a timely fashion.
The Turkey Red, a rail line that served
farm families in the county's rural northern
areas for almost 60 years, gave a convenient
way for travel into Bozeman when cars were
not an option. Local Montana residents recall
how before trains, a trip from Belgrade to
Bozeman meant staying overnight.
Margaret Gee, a school teacher who grew
up in the Belgrade area over a century ago,
recorded her experiences in an oral interview
in 1975 for the Gallatin County bi-centennial
project, "Oh, yes, the Turkey Red, they used
to pull the Turkey Red right up—we used to
ride into town on the Turkey Red Special."
The train was not fast or large (maybe three-
four cars with grain doors) and only operated
a couple of times per week.
Gallatin Valley was now tied together for
crops and travel and trains were making it
possible to connect with more people, to sell
products far and wide
and to this point, no other
transportation mode could
haul passengers at such
speeds and in almost any
type of weather. The social
and economic effects in
Montana were profound.
The Milwaukee Road
ran for almost 140 years
from 1847 to 1986 when
it experienced financial
difficulty. After 60 years of
service in Gallatin County,
the railroad tore up its tracks in 1978 (source:
Gallatin Valley History Museum: Goodbye,
Milwaukee).
Ride the rails in style!
www.distinctlymontana.com/trains204
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