Some documented history about the Union Pacific Depot:
July 14, 1971. Editorial in the North Platte Telegraph: “A reminder that someone ought to be doing something to try to save the Union Pacific depot at North Platte before it is torn down by UP.... One of these
days the railroad is going to tear the building down and sell the bricks for souvenirs unless someone in North Platte puts together the organization to find another use for it. ...”
July 20, 1971. Letter from Mayor Robert Phares to the editor of the Telegraph: “For your information, attached is a copy of my letter and a copy of the reply from the Union Pacific Railroad Company in this
regard.”
April 8, 1971. “Mr. W. J. Fox, Vice-President of Operations, Union Pacific Railroad Company.... The real purpose of this letter is to discuss with you the possibility of obtaining the old Union Pacific Depot in
the event it is phased out of operation by the railroad company. Our intentions would be to convert this into a community-wide Youth Center. ...”
April 12, 1971. “Dear Mayor Phares: .... With respect to the possibility of the City securing use of the North Platte depot in the event it is phased out of operation, you are quite correct in your statement that
it will be some time before we know definitely what might be done in this regard, as there are no present plans for closing down this facility and with our ever increasing operations in your City we are not certain at this time just what role the depot
will play in our future operations here.”
"However, I want to assure you that if it is decided to discontinue operation of the depot, the City of North Platte will be given an opportunity to discuss with our people any future use the City might have for it.
Yours very truly, Bill Fox."
May 8, 1971. Excerpts from a two-page letter to John C. Kenefick, chief executive officer, Union Pacific Railroad, from Mrs. Nellie Yost, Lincoln County Historical Society. “I talked with you a few minutes ago
about the possibility of securing the Union Pacific Depot for the use of the building as a museum by the Lincoln County Historical Society.... Please, please do what you can to make this handsome, historical old depot building available to us. .... We
would cooperate with you in almost any way to secure its use. ...”
May 21, 1971. From Kenefick to Mrs. Yost: “We have not yet completed our plans for what we will do with some of our surplus passenger stations and other facilities. We will certainly give your proposal very
careful consideration, however.”
Oct. 30, 1973. The Telegraph reported in a page one news story that time was running out to save the depot, but that last-minute attempts were being pursued. “In Lincoln, State Historical Society Director Marvin
Kivett said his organization will
re-apply shortly to have the depot placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. ... A similar effort was made earlier this year, Kivett said, but was unsuccessful. That time the application was turned down primarily because the depot ‘lacked
architectural distinction.’
This time, the historical society will base its application on the depot's historic significance as the site of the World War II Canteen. ...”
Friday, Nov. 2, 1973. “A steel wrecking ball crashes into the east side of the Union Pacific depot in North Platte. Demolition of the 55-year-old structure began Thursday afternoon. Below is the plan for the
mini-park the railroad will develop at the depot site.”
Keith Blackledge is retired after 25 years as editor of The Telegraph. He continues to write a weekly column from his home in North Platte.
![[North Platte Telegraph Online]](img/npt1.gif)
