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The 1958 Minnesota Centennial Train The Minnesota Centennial Train was designed to celebrate the state's birthday with a look at the achievements and accomplishments of its people in the state's first 100 years.
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The Minnesota Centennial Commission sponsored several different celebrations to commemorate the state's centennial. The largest of these was the Minnesota Centennial Train.
The train consisted of nine cars, six of them exhibit cars, at a total cost to the state of over $1,000,000. From April to September 1958 the train spent 135 days on the road, playing host to thousands of visitors.
Each of the six exhibit cars had a theme - History, Resources, Agriculture, Industry, Social Progress, and The Future. The 11 railroads that served Minnesota at the time took the train on a tour that included 86 of the state's 87 counties. Only Cook County, with its lack of any railroad tracks, was missed. By the time it ended, some 630,000 visitors had toured the Minnesota Centennial Train, making it the most successful program of the state's centennial commission. |
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