The Friendship Train in Arkansas

by

Dorothy R. Scheele

The Friendship Train, one of America’s greatest contributions to mankind, exploded into American life in November 1947.  Leaving from Los Angeles on November 7, the train reached New York 11 days later.  Its purpose:  to collect food for the famished people of France and Italy.  All aspects of the Friendship Train were gratis, from the food itself, rail transportation, unloading the cargo of the freight cars unto the ships, trans-Atlantic shipping, and the myriad other jobs demanded by such a colossal endeavor.  Although the Friendship Train traveled through only 11 states, every state contributed to it, including Arkansas, the Natural State.

An advertisement in the Northwest Arkansas Times urged residents to give to the Friendship Train.  The ad began with an encouraging line “… and Mr. Grocer, please include in my order a case of Ozark Canned Goods for the FRIENDSHIP TRAIN”.  It also suggested other ways to donate:  you yourself take a full case of canned goods to the Friendship Train collection station at the Houston Taylor Motor Company, or send a check to either Paul Young, Jr. or to J. R. Kennan, chairman of the local food committee.  

The Blytheville Lions Club contributed five 100 pound bags of rice.

At the home of Mrs. W. A. Fowler, the Fayetteville Garden Club gave $5.00 for the purchase of food stuffs.  The Little Rock Chamber of Commerce intended to contribute one carload of rice, which they did, and then found that they had raised enough money to buy 500 bushels of wheat, which was also contributed.

The Lions Clubs of Fayetteville and Fort Smith and several smaller clubs in northwest Arkansas sent a car of canned foods to Kansas City, the closest place for the state to connect with the Friendship Train.  The contents of the boxcar were 46,000 cans, 400 pounds of dried peas, six sacks of flour with a production cost of $4,000, and a retail value of $6,000.  In addition to this shipment the Natural State had sent 1,725 bags of rice each weighing 100 pounds.

The Northwest Arkansas Times reported that Fayetteville had 748 cases of food which the city intended to deliver to a truck in Ft. Smith.  The paper also stated that there were two carloads of food in Ft. Smith to transport to Kansas.

The Rice Milling Industry in the area of Carlisle, DeWitt, and Stuttgart committed to  $2,000 with which to buy rice.  Local school children in Little Rock gave an impressive sum of $300.  Monetary contributions were sent to R.P. Hall who was secretary of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce.

The French nation exhibited amazing gratitude for the foodstuffs which the United States had donated to it. The gratitude arrived in the form of the Merci train.  This train consisted of 49 boxcars of gifts.  The gifts were donated by the people, not the government, in the same spirit with which Americans, not the government, donated the foodstuffs.  The Merci train arrived in New York harbor on February 3, 1949.   Every state received a boxcar.  The 49^th car was to be shared by Washington, D. C. and Hawaii.  To date Arkansas’s boxcar is missing.  To learn more about the Merci boxcars, see the web site of Earl Bennett, cited below.

The author welcomes any corrections or additional information which would add to this state's history.  Her email address is draetrain@gmail.com.

The Friendship Train was the genesis for the equally fascinating French Merci Train.. Website www.mercitrain.org has information about that train. Copies of Mr. Bennett's Book The Merci Train, A Big Thank You From the French Merci Train is available at ebennett89@yahoo.com. The price is $25.00 per copy, including postage.

List of Works Consulted

“Arkansas To Provide Food” The Camden News Nov. 10, 1947:  1.

“Here and There in Arkansas” Hope Star [Hope, Arkansas] Nov. 20, 1947: 5.

“Lions Club Will Contribute Rice to Friendship Train” The Courier News [Blytheville, Arkansas] Nov. 12, 1947: 26.

 “Merci Train In State Sunday” Northwest Arkansas Times [Fayetteville, Arkansas] Feb. 9, 1949: 1.

 “Merci Train Visit To Fayetteville Proposed” Northwest Arkansas Times [Fayetteville, Arkansas] Feb. 1, 1949: 1.

“. .. Mr. Grocer; please include . .  .  Northwest Arkansas Times [Fayetteville, Arkansas] Nov. 12 1947: 9.

“Northwest Arkansas Sends Aid To Europe” Northwest Arkansas Times [Fayetteville, Arkansas] Nov. 28, 1947: 1.

“Plans Made For Collection Of Canned Goods” Northwest Arkansas Times [Fayetteville, Arkansas] · Nov. 11, 1947: 1.