Burlington Depot

Burlington Depot

Attraction Information

The Burlington Depot is part of the 7 Building Tour conducted by the Willa Cather Foundation. Call 402-746-2653 for more information

Depots in general played a significant role in Willa Cather's writings. The original two-story section of the depot, constructed in 1897, is the building Cather was familiar with during her last years in Red Cloud. Red Cloud was on the main line of the Burlington and Missouri between Kansas City and Denver. At one time, eight passenger trains (and several grain and livestock trains) passed through town daily, making the Red Cloud Depot a busy and exciting place. The Burlington Depot houses an exhibit entitled The Burlington Railroad: Colonizing Cather's Wild Land. The exhibit emphasizes four themes:

  • disposition of the land and town planning in Webster County
  • colonization and settlement
  • markets
  • the political upheaval of the 1890s

The Burlington Depot was restored and managed by the Willa Cather Foundation and maintained by the Nebraska State Historical Society.

 

Address
437 W. Welsch St.
Red Cloud, NE 68970
Phone
402-746-2653
Website
https://www.willacather.org/location/burlington-depot