OSKALOOSA — This picture is thought to be men leaving the station and are off to France in 1917. They are in their civies — civilian clothes — as you can see by their felt Stetson hats as they stick their heads out of the windows of the railroad car windows. The boys and their loved ones appear to be looking for each other as they find their seats on the train. This picture was taken soon after April of 1917 when the United States of America joined its allies in Europe to help in the fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary. When the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918, most of the boys came home at the Rock Island depot and marched north from the station up South First Street. The citizens of the area had erected a “Victory Arch” at the corner of South First Street and First Avenue East. As the boys passed through the arch, the “Rose Lady” picked a rose from one of the little girl’s basket, pinned it on the boy and topped it with a big kiss. The celebration theme was “Home” and the town was fully decorated. As the boys left for war, however, they tended to straggle from home. This picture could have been taken at either of the two depots. The Iowa Central Railroad (succeeded by the Minneapolis and St. Paul Railroad) was located near the tracks at its intersection with High Avenue West. World War I was also known as the “First World War,” the “Great War” and “The War to End All Wars.” After the war, the League of Nations was created and designed to avoid future wars by giving nations a way to solve their differences by diplomacy. The League failed, however, so after World War II the United Nations was formed and still operates today.
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