Missouri Pacific Deport   Date:  2013

 

One of the signs of Jefferson City’s prosperity in the late 1800’s was the construction of the new deport in 1898.  Typical of cities this size about 10,000 people, the deport served both freight and passenger trains.  In the days when almost everything and everyone went by rail, one could imagine the congestion and noise of horses, wagons, and eventually trucks and taxis.

 

In 1946 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Harry S. Truman arrived at this station.  Their motorcade proceeded through High Street and took them to Westminster College in Fulton where Churchill delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech.

Today the station is a district office of the Union Pacific Railroad.  The building and grounds are closed to the public