10/30/2010:
Meeting the religious needs of Dakota’s far-flung and sparse population in the late 19th century required ingenuity. For Episcopal Bishop William Walker the solution was a “church on wheels.” Constructed out east, the newly-built railway car was on its way to North Dakota on this date in 1890. While traveling around the state, large crowds gathered for services at the unique “Cathedral Car of North Dakota.” Constructed to seat eighty, the car frequently exceeded capacity.
But despite its immediate success, the life of the Cathedral Car was short-lived. By the turn of the century, the much-publicized car was in need of repair, behind in rent and the Northern Pacific was less and less inclined to haul it around free-of-charge. Unable to pay for its handling, the car was sent to Carrington, North Dakota for use as a stationary chapel and sold one year later.
Dakota Datebook written by Christina Sunwall
Sources:
Szasz, Ferenc Morton. The Protestant Clergy in the Great Plains and Mountain West, 1865-1915. University of Nebraska Press, 2004.
Wilkins, Robert P. and Wynona H. Wilkins. God Giveth the Increase: The History of the Episcopal Church in North Dakota. Fargo: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, 1959.