Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
After intensive rearranging of the depot's cargo room, several large artifacts now have room to shine. Pictured here is Ida Womacks' rug loom, which she used until her passing in 2012. Courtesy photo.
Once a place of much coming and going, the Brantford Depot is now home to some of the museum's most extensive collections and impressive artifacts. The most recent addition is a collection of Central North Dakota Steam Thresher's Reunion buttons donated by Jared Hartl. When we paired his collection with the other in the museum previously donated, we now have all 65 commemorative buttons on display! Courtesy photo.
The Brantford Depot has gotten a recent facelift, so to speak. Sure, you might have noticed we put a fresh coat of paint on the outside, but the inside reveals more impressive efforts. Inside the building, you'll find several collections that range from natural history and household goods, to telecommunications and agricultural tools, to memorabilia and postcards.
Upon entering the depot, you'll find more than 65 unique taxidermy specimens, many of which are native to the region. In addition to wildlife, we have a bison calf, a five legged-lamb and Anne & Rocky, the two headed calf.
Further into the depot station is a kitchen, complete with a sink and a wood burning stove. Here is where one of my favorite collections resides: "household items." There are mixing bowls, handmade egg beaters, rommegrot beaters, waffle irons and so much more. The exhibit itself has room to grow vertically on the pegboard walls, and will hopefully come together during a workday in the spring.
The cargo room, deep in the far reaches of the depot, has undergone the most impressive transformation. This past summer museum board members Calvin Packard and Tim Hartl took on the task of ensuring that the entirety of the museum grounds were wheelchair accessible. This included far more rearranging than either of the volunteers had expected, but yielded a bit of a treasure. As a result of their efforts, museum visitors can easily see the rug loom once used by Ida Womacks, who interestingly enough was grandmother to Calvin and aunt to Tim.
The medical display remains fully intact with a variety of tools and implements once used at the New Rockford City Hospital. We also have the privilege of playing host to the chairs from Dr. Baxmeier's dental office.
There's plenty more I'm leaving out. The depot (and the entire museum) really are a one-of-a-kind place, and we hope you can take time to appreciate the artifacts. If you can't make it to see us during the summer months, we encourage you to visit us online at eddycounty.catalogaccess.com to catch a sampling of our displays and learn more about the history of the place we call home.
