Wellcome. Folks call me Justus. I run the Northern Pacific depot here in Jamestown, where most anything bound for this part of Dakota touches my platform first.
Trains don’t care if the wind’s biting, the dust is thick, or the thermometer’s sulking below zero. They come when they come—and my job is to keep order in the middle of it: passengers pointed the right way, freight counted and tagged, and stock loaded without turning the yard into a rodeo.
Some men think the railroad is steel and steam. I’ll tell you the truth: it’s ledgers, timing, and calm voices—especially when a family arrives with all they own tied up in a tarp.
Where I Work
- Jamestown depot: office, platform, baggage room
- Freight yard: boxcars, lumber, machinery, dry goods
- Stock pens: cattle and horses bound east or west
- Siding & switches: keeping traffic moving
- Water tower & coal platform for the locomotives
- Telegraph line to Fargo, Bismarck, and St. Paul
Tools & Gear
- Ledger books, manifests, waybills
- Telegraph key and message blanks
- Pocket watch (because “soon” isn’t a schedule)
- Freight chalk, tags, and sealing tools
- Lantern for late arrivals and yard checks
- Canvas gloves and boots that can take a stomp
Daily Work
- Match incoming freight against the manifest
- Help families and newcomers get oriented fast
- Keep stock loading steady—no shouting, no panic
- Work delays with facts (and telegraph) not guesses
- Clear snow from switches and walkways in winter
- Keep the yard safe when light turns thin
Railway Realities
- Schedules are hopeful; telegraph updates are truth
- Harvest season can turn the depot into a hive
- One stalled train can ripple delays for miles
- Engines drink water like cattle in July
- Good yard hands watch your signals more than speeches
- Storms make the wire talk faster than men can write
People I See
- Homesteaders stepping off with all they own
- Merchants waiting on crates and spare parts
- Ranchers shipping stock to market
- Rail crews swapping news from the line
- Telegraph operators passing word along the Territory
- Travelers headed to “somewhere better” (or at least newer)
How I Help Visitors
- Explain rail travel and what it costs—money and patience
- Describe freight handling, waybills, and depot routines
- Talk livestock shipping: pens, loading, and car care
- Explain telegraph use and why it matters so much
- Share how depots shape towns and Territory life
- Offer practical, steady answers—no tall tales required
“Rails don’t run themselves—every mile needs steady hands, clear signals, and somebody who keeps their head when the wind kicks up.”
Railroad Depot
Where the Territory shows up
Jamestown can be quiet as a church one hour—and the next, it’s ranchers needing cars, merchants demanding crates, homesteaders asking directions to land they’ve never seen, and a telegraph key snapping out updates like a woodpecker on a fence post.
My work is simple to say and hard to do: keep the books straight, keep the platform orderly, and keep people moving without losing what matters—freight, time, and sometimes hope.
If you’ve got questions about the railroad, travel, freight, telegraph lines, or life in Jamestown, I’m glad to talk.
“A train arriving on time can mean goods on a shelf, mail in a hand, or a family stepping onto Dakota soil for the first time. I take pride in making those moments happen.”