I worked for the Milwaukee Road from 1968-1980. The fall of 1968 or the spring of 1969, can't remember now, I relieved the station agent for month while he was having a surgery. I was 20 years old and the youngest only female my age working as an agent/operator. There was a very small U.S. post office near the depot and a very neat, clean, and tidy woman worked there. I really wanted to have her job as mine was dirty, cold and wet. It also proved dangerous when the conductor of the switch engine in the yard told me I could "ride the train" out to check the yard which was over about two feet of mud and the bridge to the depot was often closed from flooding.

He told me just how to stand and how to "catch" the grab-iron on the engine to check the yard. I wondered why the men getting off shift weren't all moving to their cars as usual, when the train began to back up alongside me and I was diverted from this question by reaching out for the grab-iron. I had a clipboard for checking cards, my switch lantern and a hard hat when I suddenly found myself upside down looking at the rails. My feet were somewhere along the upper side of the engine and when I got righted, and climbed into the cab the engineer and fireman both looked like I'd just dropped in from Mars.

There was much swearing all around and then they told me they knew nothing of his "arrangement" for me to ride the train to check the yard. We were already underway so they did let me check the yard. When we got back to the depot, I collared one of the millworkers and found out that bets were given and taken on if I'd survive the "ride". I did get even with the guy to who set the whole thing up but that's another story.

I will always remember the postmistress and how she invited me into the post office and gave me a nice hot cup of tea after my adventure.

JAS, agent/opr, The Milwaukee Road