Building Forward and Onward
Often, it is the things just below the surface that make a history or place interesting. Old stories of personal sacrifice or challenge that make up the big history are often quite special. These things lie just below the surface of what is normally seen, weaving the fabric of history into what is now casually observed as "current." The piles of rock and filler that abound in the picture of Deer Lodge, MT lie atop one of those intriguing old stories. In the distance, a few poles jut into the sky between the trees. They are a reminder that this is a special place. This is a place where America's final transcontinental railroad pushed west toward the mountains in the distance. This is a place where Little Joes pulled time sensitive Thunderhawk and XL Specials up for crew changes at the nearby depot. They rolled out beneath those old poles, from between the trees and into the rails of the Milwaukee's Deer Lodge yards, now home to large piles of D...