Merci Train boxcar arrives in Huron 75 years ago

By Plainsman Staff
Posted 2/1/25

French post-WWII gift reached Huron in 1949

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Merci Train boxcar arrives in Huron 75 years ago

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Seventy-five years ago on Feb. 3, 1949, the French Gratitude Train, commonly referred to as the Merci Train with 49 40-and-8 boxcars, one for each of our United States with each containing between 500 and 600 gifts, arrived aboard the Magellan in Weehawken, New Jersey with over 25,000 onlookers in attendance.

On the side of the gift-laden French freighter was painted, “MERCI AMERICA,” (Thank You America). The boxcars were “forty-and-eights” used during both world wars. The term refers to the cars’ carrying capacity, said to be 40 men or eight horses. Built starting in the 1870s as regular freight boxcars, they were originally used in military service by the French army in both World Wars, and then later used by the German occupation in World War II and finally by the Allied liberators.

The idea to send a “thank you” gift to the United States for the $40 million in food and other supplies sent to France and Italy in 1947 and helping save their country, came from a French railroad worker and World War II veteran, named Andre Picard. Donations from the Merci Train came from over six million citizens of France and Italy.

The gifts were in the form of dolls, statues, clothes, ornamental objects, furniture, and even a Legion of Honour medal purported to have belonged to Napoleon, and every boxcar contained a wedding dress. All items came from their homes as all their factories had all been destroyed. The car destined for the state of New Yor, was paraded down Broadway ticker-tape parade style to the delight of about 200,000 people. Inside the car were many gifts including a 500-pound bell cast by the city of Annecy.

The bell was labeled to the attention of Cardinal Spellman and he placed it in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. But most of the gifts were more of a personal nature from people who had little to give at the time.

Immediately the trains were distributed amongst the states, as was the South Dakota 40 and 8 Boxcar, now on display at Dakotaland Museum. It was one of 49 cars that comprised the Merci or Gratitude train, a gift to the people of South Dakota from the citizens of France.

The symbol of the Merci Train, shown next to the French flag, is a frontal view of a steam engine with flowers on the pilot which are symbolic of Flanders Field, where many American “Doughboys” from WW1 are buried.

The drawing was adopted as the official symbol of the French Merci Train Committee, and a plaque of the drawing was placed on each of the Merci box cars. The committee also had gift tags made bearing the symbol, and one accompanied each of the more than 52,000 gifts that came in the box cars.

This train, called the Merci Train, was sent in response to more than 700 boxcars of supplies — known as the Friendship Train — sent by the American people to France in 1947. Each of the Merci Train boxcars carried five tons of gifts, all of which were donated by private citizens.

The South Dakota 40 and 8 Boxcar is maintained by Voyageurs (40 and 8 veterans) of Grand du South Dakota, the 10 voitures (groups) across South Dakota. The South Dakota State Fair erected the roof over it to protect in from the elements. Voyageurs from the 10 voitures are at the boxcar during the State Fair, visiting and explaining the boxcar to fairgoers.

There are 45 of the original 49 boxcars still in their original states.
Voiture 180 was chartered in 2014, serving Lincoln, Minnehaha, and McCook counties and surrounding areas with the 40 and 8 Flag Program, nursing scholarship and other charitable activities.