The Railroad in 1880 Town

Around the time I wrote and published Beckett's Brides, a Western novel set in Deadwood, South Dakota, I wrote a series of blogs on 1880 Town in Midland, South Dakota, about 150 miles away. The replica town gives one a good idea of what a typical Western town might have been like. Since my next novel, The Miner, is also set in Deadwood, I decided to continue that series. I've already written articles on saloons, gold mines, churches, hotels, the blacksmith, barbershop, school, doctor, jail, and general store.

Another important part of many towns in the late 1800s was the depot and railroad. Between 1880 and 1890, 70,400 new miles of tracks were laid, bringing the total to 163,600 miles. There was a 129% increase in railroad mileage in the West. Trains were not only important for faster, more convenient passenger travel, but also for the shipment of freight. Needed goods came into Western towns, and cattle, farm and ranch products, and sometimes horses went out. The expansion of the railroad into more towns played a crucial role in the development of the West.

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