Understanding History in Siouxland, Union Pacific Railroad Museum, Council Bluffs

The Union Pacific Railraod Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa resides in a former public library, possibly a former Carnegie Library of which many were built around the country in the 19th century seen Tuesday, April 23, 2019. (Photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

The Union Pacific Railroad Museum houses the history of the company as it relates to the community of Council Bluffs, and the railroad company in general. No affiliation to the business, it celebrates the life work of one General Grenville M. Dodge who settled in Council Bluffs and helped build a railroad empire. One of the interesting aspects to me about the museum is the video animated actions of recreating General Dodge and a ticket seller who through interactions with the motion of visitors helps tell the story of the railroad.

Animated characters bring to life history at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Animated characters bring to life history at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Animated characters bring to life history at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

The hand gestures may be slight but bring to life the figure before one at the museum. The figure also goes through head motions, again slight, reinforcing that you are interacting and listening to someone tell a story, this story about General Dodge and how the Union Pacific Railroad came into being. The animated ticket seller also seems a little creepy, but fun as he tries to engage a passerby once the motion detection is set off and the seller awakens.

Animated characters bring to life history at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Animated characters bring to life history at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Animated characters bring to life history at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Having previously visited the museum I found other forms of media now utilized to help tell the history of the railroad which helps make it more entertaining to learn history about the area and community itself as it is growth is entwined with that of the railroad company and the expansion of the westward territories as America grew as a nation and its citizens began having means to visit other parts of the country and explore their nation with the advent of “public” transportation.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Media presences helps visitors understand history at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Media presences helps visitors understand history at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Winter’s Beauty in Siouxland, Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve

On a foggy morning, hoar frost, a deposit of needle-like ice crystals formed on the ground or near the ground by direct condensation at temperatures below freezing point, coats trees and other vegetation at the Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, South Dakota Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Nature has an amazing way of sharing its beauty even in winter in Siouxland. Recently the entire area was blanketed by fog and the below freezing temperature created an amazing vision of ice crystals coating everything in sight. Hoar frost is to me a wonderful sight to behold. Although the sun didn’t peek out much and the still cloud covered sky did not lend a dramatic blue sky background to the frost covered ground and plants, it was still fun to see an entire area covered by frost.

Hoar frost, a deposit of needle-like ice crystals formed on the ground or near the ground by direct condensation at temperatures below freezing point, coats trees and other vegetation near North Sioux City, South Dakota Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Hoar frost, a deposit of needle-like ice crystals formed on the ground or near the ground by direct condensation at temperatures below freezing point, coats trees and other vegetation at the Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, South Dakota Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

It’s early January and one can only guess what Mother Nature has in-store for the rest of winter and weather or not it will display more of the same beauty or not. This I enjoyed much in that I really didn’t have much shoveling to do when awoken in the morning. But I’m sure there will still be some snowfall yet that will require some manual labor and a few cups of hot coffee to clear walks before this winter season is past.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

On a foggy morning, hoar frost, a deposit of needle-like ice crystals formed on the ground or near the ground by direct condensation at temperatures below freezing point, coats trees and other vegetation at the Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, South Dakota Monday, Dec. 16, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Winter’s Decorations in Siouxland, near Burbank, SD

Hoar frost coats trees along a snow encrusted roadway just outside Burbank, South Dakota Monday, Dec. 16, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Travel in the wintertime can sometimes not be for the faint of heart while driving around Siouxland. Recently a morning fog left remnants of a wintry decoration coating trees and vegetation and some roadways as well. It’s so easy to travel around a curve and find oneself continuing a trajectory that was not intentionally planned. But there is also an advantage to driving more slowly on such a day besides safety and that is the chance to enjoy winter’s decorations in nature as fleeting as it might be as the day warms up a few degrees and the sun shines bringing an end to a glistening morning that greets one and begins a new day.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

Hoar frost coats trees at a small farm stead just outside Burbank, South Dakota Monday, Dec. 16, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Passing Through a Small Town in Siouxland, Louisville NE

Main street downtown Louisville, Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Although driving about Siouxland and similar places some folk might believe all small towns are the same, but one comes to know they are not. The offerings in such places might not be as extensive as larger communities, but places like Louisville, Nebraska has its own small town charm and a place residents enjoy calling home. Visiting in winter is a little different than when I come across places any other time of year. Depending on the weather and how much the wind is blowing, I might not linger much while walking about.

The remnants of a mural seen on a business wall in Louisville, Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

The Cornhusker Country Music Theatre where musicians get together and jam seen downtown in Louisville, Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

And different times of the year probably has more activity happening on the weekend than what I saw while passing through recently. One downtown place that stuck out is the Cornhusker Country Music Theatre, a venue where folk get together and play music (guess if you haven’t the style) and entertain themselves, friends and any guests that happen by. A trip back at some point during warmer weather is probably necessary.

There were hourly trains passing through the community so it’s safe to assume it has been and continues to be a railway hub of some description, most with railcars pulling coal and other items in bulk. A grain elevator sits just down from the downtown area, and like so many small communities I visit it becomes apparent that agriculture is a major employer of some sort with farms and other industry related businesses in the area.

Trains pass through hourly in Louisville, Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

A grain elevator has steam rising from its stacks seen in the distance from downtown Louisville, Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

It was interesting to find a shop espousing medicinal usage of marijuana along a side street and also the ubiquitous barbershop that actually looks like one and not just a more modern version of a stylist salon.

Progressive Nebraskans looking for an alternative medicinal option located in Louisville, Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

A barbershop closed on the weekend in Louisville, Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

One never really knows any community unless you spend a little time becoming acquainted and it’s hard depending on one’s travel plans to be able to do so. The road in and out can beckon both ways to visitors and residents alike and time and circumstance dictate which it may be on any given day.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

A crossroad leading out of town from Louisville, Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Sharing the Holiday Spirit in Song in Siouxland, Nora, SD

 

I always find it fun when venturing out in Siouxland to revisit places I have been too. Visited often enough, places become very familiar. Sometimes though a place feels at home as soon as you walk through the door. The Nora, SD country store is located at a crossroads in rural South Dakota and owned by Mike Pederson. Listed on the National Register of Historic places, the store was a true country store, closing in 1962. Some items from its previous life are still sitting on shelves.

Resident cats of Mike Pederson check out visitors’ vehicles while everyone is inside the Nora, SD store for 30th annual Christmas carol sing-a-long Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. Pederson began the sing-a-longs in 1989 when he moved and set up the pipe organ in his store. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of a few remaining country stores, which closed in 1962. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

A pet cat looks for some attention outside the Nora, SD, store Sunday Dec. 1, 2019 with remnants of a blizzard still remaining on the ground. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Pederson has been hosting holiday sing-a-longs at the store since 1989, 30 years. He acquired an organ in the early days, learned to play it and began inviting folk to stop by during the weeks leading up to Christmas Day and to share in Christmas music, both secular and religious to just help folk get into the spirit.

MIKE PEDERSON sits at his organ where he plays Christmas music beginning just after the Thanksgiving holiday up through December 15 at his Nora, SD, Christmas store Sunday Dec. 1, 2019. Marking his 30th year of his annual Nora Store Christmas Carol sing-a-long beginning in 1989 when he set up a pipe organ. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

MIKE PEDERSON, fifth from the left, sits at his German-made organ where he plays Christmas music at his Nora, SD, Christmas store Sunday Dec. 8, 2019 and is joined by visitors sharing in the love of singing Christmas carols. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Christmas decorations hang inside the Nora, SD, store Sunday Dec. 1, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

From hosting so many years he tells some pretty interesting stories of people who have visited. Some by chance and others making a pilgrimage to come back, by themselves or bringing family and friends to enjoy a couple hours of singing and leaving cares at the front door and sharing space and time with strangers who are not really that strange. All enjoy singing, some of us more off key than others, but people don’t seem to care and with so many voices it’s hard to tell anyway.

MIKE PEDERSON puts out more cookies for visitors to his Nora, SD, store Sunday Dec. 8, 2019. Pederson is marking his 30th year for an annual Nora Store Christmas Carol sing-a-long beginning in 1989 when he set up a pipe organ. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

MIKE PEDERSON plays Christmas carols on his German-made organ at his Nora, SD, Christmas store Sunday Dec. 8, 2019 and is joined by visitors sharing in the love of singing Christmas carols. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Pederson told folk attending this year that he has been diagnosed with cancer, but so far, has been blessed with good health as he attends to treatment and the medication that goes along with that treatment. His main concern was in asking for some help in keep the store in repair as it needs some work and because of its historical significance to rural America and the fact that these stores are disappearing. Others in the area have been torn down or destroyed by fire. A slice of Americana that can’t be replicated. And I think he also wants to keep alive that spirit of togetherness, sharing with neighbors,  known and unknown, and taking time out to celebrate a time of year that many find special and a place to enjoy it in, bringing back memories for some and creating memories for others too young to have experience that past.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

MIKE PEDERSON, third from left, tells a story of visiting Norwegians who stopped by a couple years ago to sit Christmas carols at his Nora, SD store seen Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

MIKE PEDERSON, third from left, sits at his organ where he plays Christmas music at his Nora, SD, Christmas store Sunday Dec. 8, 2019 and is joined by visitors sharing in the love of singing Christmas carols, marking 30 years for his annual Nora Store the sing-a-long which began in 1989. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

A Walking Piece of History in Siouxland, the Meridian Bridge, Yankton, SD

in Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

I always find it nice when local communities help visitors learn a bit more history about itself and its residents. Various Siouxland communities do this and Yankton, SD recently installed signage at the Meridian Bridge, previously a double decker vehicle bridge, now a pedestrian walkway over the Missouri River.

A sculpted art piece at the foot of the pedestrian Meridian Bridge in Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

The Meridian Bridge was formerly a double decker vehicle bridge but is now a pedestrian walkway over the Missouri River in Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Of course not all “residents” appreciate the signage or the history, but just enjoy the structure itself.

Pidgeons take a short flight before returning to a resting spot on the Meridian Bridge in Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Pidgeons find a resting spot on the Meridian Bridge in Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

A short walk from the downtown area of Yankton and some eateries, a nice walk is always pleasant and doesn’t hurt the appetite either.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

A sign posting at the Meridan Bridge gives a visitor a little background about the area and the Missouri River seen in Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

A sign posted at the Meridian Bridge gives a little background about an earlier politician seen in Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Christmas Cheer in Siouxland Begins, Yankton, SD

Feeling the Yuletide spirit in downtown Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

It’s well understood that the Christmas season has already started. Decorations are up and retailers are calling shoppers and customers to come take a look and possibly buy. That horse left the barn many decades ago. While I might have mixed feelings about hawking Christmas gifts so early I do enjoy seeing the decorations and other trappings of the season.

Christmas decorations popping up in downtown Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

 

Christmas cheer in downtown Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

It’s cheery and nice to let the mind wander to happier thoughts that maybe news of the day or other intruding subjects create a different atmosphere. I must confess, while driving about I have already been listening to Christmas music, mostly instrumental with a New Age flair and jazz renditions of the holiday classics. It’s light, carefree and makes me smile.

Window displays with Christmas tidings in downtown Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)

Soon Siouxland communities will be having their annual lighted parades and other celebrations marking the holiday and working to get their residents and guests alike into the “mood”, wishing all good cheer and a Merry Christmas.

Jerry Mennenga

Sioux City, Iowa

A Christmas wreath decorates the Meridian Bridge, now a walking bridge, in Yankton, South Dakota Friday Nov. 8, 2019. (photo by Jerry L Mennenga©)