Draftees leave depot

Creator

Manitowoc Herald-Times (Manitowoc, Wis.)

Date

• March 20, 1941

Summary

• 78 draftees intermingle with relatives and friends on and around the platform of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway depot on South 13th Street in Manitowoc, Wisconsin around 1:30 p.m. on March 20, 1941 as the draftees await departure to Milwaukee, on their way for military training. The Manitowoc American Legion Band performs on the platform as two Legion members stnad holding United States and American Legion flags. They are flanked on either side by two other Legion members wearing topcoats. Many of the people are wearing winter coats and hats. Visible on the depot building behind the crowd are windows and a sign for the Western Union Telegraph & Cable Office. The draft had been instituted in 1940, prior to the United States' entry into World War II. This contingent of 78 was the largest group of draftees to leave Manitowoc up to that time. The American Legion band regularly escorted groups of departing draftees to the railroad station. During most of this time the Chicago & Northwestern passenger depot was located off Franklin Street between South 13th and South 14th Streets. This depot closed when a new Chicago & Northwestern passenger depot opened on South 29th Street on January 7, 1945.