Burlington Depot

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

Watch our virtual tour of the recent restoration and preservation work at this important historic site in Red Cloud! [June 2021]