This August, I visited the city of North Platte for a tour with North Platte’s chamber office. North Platte is known for many things, and chief among them are its status as a railroad town and the home of Buffalo Bill. As we drove through the city, I saw its industrial area and new housing subdivisions. As the tour continued, we came across the Downtown Canteen District, a title that holds special meaning for people across our state.
During World War II, this small,West Central Nebraska town was famous for the North Platte Canteen. In 1941, a few local area women began bringing desserts to the soldiers stopping at North Platte’s train station. Soon, the good deeds of these women grew into a larger affair: a waiting room at the train station filled with sandwiches, coffee, and cakes donated by people across the surrounding area.
From Christmas Day 1941 to April 1946, these Nebraskans met every train that came into the North Platte station with food and friendship. Each day, up to 32 trains rolled into North Platte, carrying thousands of uniformed personnel. As World War II raged on, donations and support from the communities surrounding North Platte poured in.The North Platte Canteen received around 40,000 cookies, 30,000 hard-boiled eggs, 6,900 birthday cakes, and 2,800 pounds of sandwich meat during just one month.
