Below are messages from donors who have contributed to our clean-up costs. THANK YOU!! all for your unwavering support!
ADDED 7/26/08:
Good luck on your effort to meet your restoration matching grant goal. –Brian in Madison, WI

I hope this small amount will be of some help to the museum. –Erwin in Appleton, WI

Good luck! –David in Naperville, IL My son and I had a great time at Mid-Continent last summer; I hope this helps you get back in operation. –Nathanael in Spring Green, WI

Apply to which ever need you deem the greatest. Thanks for the Bluegrass Festival. –Ronald in Madison, WI

Hope the goal is met. –Sally in Mazomanie, WI

My son loved his visit to your museum years ago with his Scout troop and is a real rail fan. I hope you manage to make your fund raising goal. –Anita in Beloit, WI

Dick and I continue to be interested in your flood recovery. We are happy that so many others have given, the media interst and the generous gift of financial help from Trains Magazine. Please know that we continue to want to help. I imagine we will never be your way again, but our time there was wonderful and so many kind people. Please use this money in your recovery needs. We will read the good news on your website about all that is being done. Good luck and GOD BLESS YOU ALL. –Dick & Cindy in Hartselle, AL

I wish you guys much luck in raising the money for the Fish Car! I hope to be able to make a bigger donation in the future, when money permits me. –Tim in Appleton, WI

We see lots of progress since the watery photos on the web, but know you have much more to do. Hope the enclosed helps and cheers you onward! Please don’t add us to your mailing list – you don’t need more expenses and we will follow your progress on the web. –Ruth & Paul in Skokie, IL

Enclosed is a donation for the Badger No. 2 fund. It isn’t much but we want to help in some small way. We’re sorry for the difficulty this June has brought. Best of luck to you. –David & Marcia in Baraboo, WI

Keep up the great work! –Philip & Martha in McFarland, WI

I’ve enclosed a gift in memory of Lawrence R. Schoenmann, a true railroad enthusiast. –William & Rebecca in Milwaukee, WI

I am sending this check to help the clean up from the flood the other month. I wanted to send it sooner but life is crazy out here and I didn’t get to it. Fireworks season is here all weekend and most evenings are busy. Diane and I have done eight shows in the last four weeks. I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. Take care. –Brian in Marietta, PA

I enjoyed reading the Wisconsin State Journal article last week about the Badger No. 2 fish car restoration. I have great memories of exploring the fish hatchery as a child in the 1950s when our parents took us to visit. So I would like to help with this project. I hope you reach your fund raising goal! And I hope someday to visit the Badger No. 2 fish car. –Glenna in Monona, WI

Good luck with the rest of your fund raising! We’ve been to your museum a couple of times – once when our kids were little and 3 years ago – my husband wanted to go back during our 25th anniversary trip. Can’t wait to return again and see the restored fish car. –Dan & Ruth in Darlington, WI
ADDED 7/14/08:
With thanks for happy memories of my visit to North Freedom; I know your hard work and dedication will bring you back better than ever! –Jan in Clarendon Hills, IL

I hope this helps in some small way to getting you back on track. –Harker in Roselle, IL

We hoped to visit the museum on June 12th. Hopefully this helps in a small way toward your reopening. Hoping to see you soon! –Jack & Kim in Arpin, WI

The museum is a great resource–been there several times. good luck with your flood recovery! – Matthew in Madison, WI

Use for whatever is pressing. Good luck. –Ernest in Waukesha, WI

I am sorry to hear about all the damage from the flood. I live too far away to come up and help with the clean up. I know there is a lot of work to be done. Enclosed is a check to help with the cost of clean up. Use it for whatever is needed. Thank you all for all the time and work you are doing to clean up the mess. Hope we can be running again soon. –Ray in Elizabethtown, IL

We are sending this donation for clean-up and repair of the trains, station, and anything else required in the recovery effort of the Mid-Continent Railway and Museum. We were Wisconsin residents for 35 years before we retired to the Washington, DC area and we care deeply about the “treasures” that have been affected by the flooding. Please add my name to your e-mail list so that I can continue to follow the progress of recovery. –Carol Ann & Dennis in Washington, DC

I wish I could donate more at this time as I know so much needs to be done on the railway grounds, buildings and equipment. My hat is off to all of the great volunteers working at Mid-Continent! My most sincere good wishes. –Jim in Bloomington, WI

I visited your depot June of 2005 and fell in love with it. Hope this small donation will help. Love your web cam. –William in Wharton, TX

Please accept this small donation to help with the flood damage repairs. News of the flooding in the Baraboo vicinity did not reach the Chicago area with the exception of the disaster at Lake Delton. So I was very saddened to see what happened to the Mid-Continent Railway Museum when I viewed your web site and the pictures of the extensive damage. I was hoping to drive up to Baraboo and North Freedom in a few weeks for another visit and that prompted me to look at your web site. I am so glad I made two visits last summer, one of them being the delightful Autumn Colors. I hope the repair of the damage will be successful and done soon. Mid-Continent is a wonderful museum and I will periodically check your web site to follow the progress and eventual reopening. –Carol in Northlake, IL

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who is giving all the extra effort to recover and get “Rolling” soon. Mid-Continent is a very important museum preserving and documenting an important business that helped to build America. Mid-Continent Railway has some of the best artifacts that have been saved and restored by the best of volunteers and staff. The flood is only a little challenge to everyone; soon the sun will shine again. –Vince in Charles Town, WV
ADDED 7/4/08:
We were planning to visit after the 4 th of July–maybe next year. Our thoughts and prayers are with you on your recovery. –Dale from Manhattan, IL

Hope this little bit helps. Looking forward to visiting again. –Dan in Winfield, IL

Thanks for the update. You have so many good people working on this clean-up project that we wish we could be there too. –Henry and Barb in MI

Thank you for keeping me posted on the progress you are making since the disastrous flooding. You must be aware now of how important your museum is to so many people, including me! I am a “rail fan” and have enjoyed many happy hours at your museum over the years. Please know that there are many people thinking about you and praying that everything will soon be back to normal at North Freedom! –Judie in Platteville, WI

How very, very sad to see the extent of damage done to the museum and its collection and to observe the photos and video. Best wishes for your recovery. –Chuck in Huntley, IL (long time member of the Illinois Railway Museum, reared in Winslow, AZ and son of a Santa Fe engineer)

I’ve been watching the web cam–it’s so sad. Also appreciate the web log, including the extra entries. It’s good to see that other RR museums are offering a hand. But the biggest thanks goes to those great volunteers. As you mentioned June 23rd, they are the heart and soul of the organization. –George in Cutten, CA

My son Hunter loves trains and we were planning a trip to North Freedom this summer. Unfortunately we had flooding here as well and our plans have changed. This [gift] is from my son’s piggy bank because he wants the trains running again. God bless you and your clean up of the museum and trains. –Vicki in Freeport, IL

We have been visiting your museum for over 10 years. We wish you the best of luck in your clean up efforts. –Bill & Alicia in Western Springs, IL

The Carlson family wishes you the best of luck in going forward. We visit at least twice a year for many years. We will be back soon. –Steve in Kenosha, WI

Was just getting ready to send a donation when the floods hit. Will instead double it because I know you need it. –Jerry in Newark, OH
ADDED 6/24/08:
I am speechless at the damage I have seen in your photos. Thank you for the updates; I check for them and the web cam several times a day! –CarylAnne in Madison, WI

For a Gandy crew. –James in Laredo, TX

We were there this weekend and were impressed by the hard work and dedication of the volunteers and staff. We are looking forward to returning as soon as you are open, even for limited operations. Please use this donation as you see fit. –Bill & Deb in St Paul, MN

Good luck in your flood recovery. –Geoff, Vice Chair, Avon Valley Railway, Bristol, UK

I saw the photos on your web site and I was absolutely amazed and saddened by the amount of damage done by the flood. I have been to your museum annually over the years for the Snow Train Weekend and I’ve always enjoyed it. I hope that your museum can resume operations, if not for this season, then by the next Snow Train. I have made my donation on line for the flood. I am encouraging other people to donate to your museum too. –Paul in Chicago, IL
ADDED 6/20/08:
Hang tough–I know you can bring it back. see you for Snow Train. –Gary in Oak Creek, WI

I received your two e-mails tonight. The support, the sheer amount of work mainly by volunteers, is what it has always been and is marvelous to contemplate. I am unable to do much more than contemplate and encourage, but I hope to be able to share some more of the costs. The MCRY shall run again! – Bob in Madison, WI

I have been visiting the MCRM since the days when 1385 was still under steam; the museum is quite a gem and certainly worthy of preservation. We had booked a Dells getaway in May, obviously before the area and museum were devastated. Wll the Polynesian is still standing and were still coming. Tuesday June 24th was to be our day at MCRM. Since a train ride may be a summer away, I would like to instead offer my services as a volunteer to aid with the recovery effort surrounding MCRM. We applaud your perseverance and dedication. PS – Please keep up the Water Chronicles blog postings … it is our link to your personal perspectives as the MCRM phoenix rises. –Kelly in Rochester, MN

We wish we could do more right now. The museum and its many volunteers hold a special place in our hearts! Linda & David in Pepin, WI Our prayers are with you. Hopefully many people will rally to your cause and provide help or financial support in some way. Never give up hope. You will succeed no matter how insurmountable the task! We hope to eventually help you with a little bit of a donation when we can. In the meantime North Freedom and the Mid-Continent Railway will always be in our memories. We used to go there when we lived in Madison and our girls were little. You provided us with a lot of fun. –Henry & Barb

With your crew I know you will succeed. –Russ in Los Altos, CA

Best wishes as you work to repair the flood damage. Thanks for the blogs and photos to keep us informed of the situation. –Bill in Madison, WI

May the damage be less than expected and recovery quick. –Joe in Grand Rapids, MI

We got married in the Oak Park in 1989, pulled by #1. My wife is from Oak Park, IL. I know you guys will get it back. We love this place. See you all later this season. –Dean in Schaumberg, IL

This is a drop in the bucket but hopefully will help get your museum back on “high iron.” A new goal of $5 million new monies will help all of the volunteers with their restorations. –Roger in Park Ridge, IL

Chris Burger alerted me to this problem. Hope this helps some. How awful! Best to you! –Polly in Santa Fe, NM
ADDED 6/17/08:
Hope this will begin the (rail) road to recovery! –Frank in St Paul, MN

Best wishes for your recovery from a friend on the Niles Canyon Railway in California. I wish I could give more. –Howard in San Pablo, CA

 I am a member of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum which sustained flood damage when the remains of Hurricane Ivan came through in 2004. I wish I could donate more …. Good luck to all of you. –William in Elizabeth, PA

 No acknowledgement is necessary. Your time is more valuable at other tasks. –Art in Addison, IL
Hang in there! I’ve been there too! My prayers are with you! –David in Arlington Heights, IL
I cut weeds along the right-of-way in 1965-66. Good luck and God help in your flood recovery efforts. –Harry in Oconomowoc, WI

 I volunteer at the Whippany Railway Museum in New Jersey. I’m so sorry to hear (and see) about the flood. Please use my donation for whatever need is most pressing. Best wishes. –Karl in Clifton, NJ
We have visited the Museum many times in the past. My first visit was probably in about 1968, when I saw a working steam locomotive for the first time. Good luck with the recovery. I know it will take a lot of work. –Erik in St Paul, MN

 I hope this small donation helps towards any flood recovery. My son is looking forward to a ride in the caboose again! –Todd in New Berlin, WI

 Sorry it isn’t more. The time-lapse video clips show how fast it happened. Good luck with the clean-up! –John in Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA

 Wish I could send more. MCRM was a stop on our honeymoon 14 years ago, and we hope you can get back running soon! –James in Whitefish Bay, WI

 Keep us posted. All that has been invested in this of time, labor and money must not go down with the flood! I know it will NOT. –Robert in Madison, WI

 Good luck with the cleanup! –Erik in Winona, MN

 Thanks for all of your hard work preserving rail history for my family to enjoy! –Dan in West Dundee, IL

 Our hearts are broken for this terrible time for all of you. We spent a week’s vacation in this area and left around the 25th of May. We loved the train and were in the caboose and talked with the doctor who volunteers one day a week. He was so full of information and all there were so friendly. We bought several gifts from the gift shop. We had barely returned two weeks when all this happened. We look at our pictures and weep. We know that you will get it right in time. We pray for all of you there. We shall keep in touch. –Richard and Cynthia in Hartselle, AL

 Visited in 1995 when we lived in Milwaukee. Good luck. –Michael in Oroville, CA Hi Don and MCRM crew. Hang tough. –Charles in Leland, IL

 Please use wherever it is most needed. The flooding is most disconcerting. I spent many hours volunteering in the late 70s and early 80s. The organization holds many fine memories. The CB&Q caboose was owned by a friend of mine that passed away untimely. We moved it first from south of Des Moines to West Liberty, IA. Then he moved it to North Freedom. –Dale in Stone Mountain, GA

 I’m a Katrina survivor. Let me know if you will have work weekends. Good luck. –Chuck in Cold Spring, KY

 Good luck Mid-Continent–hope you can operate again soon. –Eric in St Paul, MN
Hang tough! You have a great historic railroad and museum. I know you will rebuild and do well. –Al Harper in Durango, CO

 Please use this for flood recovery. It’s not much, I know–but at the time it is what I can pass along. Hopefully it will buy a couple of pizzas to help feed the people that are able to help out. I have been coming there since the early 60s. My Dad was a childhood friend of Ray and Kathy Buhrmaster. I have a great photo of myself at about age 8, standing in the doorway of the CIPS #6 (40 years ago). I had the honor of overnighting in both the basement of the station and also in the sleeper ‘Night Trail.’ Good luck with the recovery. –Tim in Eagan, MN