The arrival of the railroad in South Dakota is directly responsible for
the population boom and town development the state experienced in the
early 1900s. Enticed by the promise of opportunity, many immigrants and
East Coast residents hopped on the train and headed west, many settling
in South Dakota. Railroads opened the doorway and made the West what it
has become. Using over 200 images, authors Mike Wiese and Tom Hayes take
the reader on a historic tour of the depots, trains, and wrecks that
defined South Dakota railroading in the early part of the 20th century.
Drawing on their immense collections of images and postcards, they tell
a story of railroad development and local history in South Dakota.