[Albert Fitzpatrick on left, Richard Fitzpatrick on right, sitting on
the loading dock of the St. Vincent, Minnesota depot in early 1900's]
RICHARD FITZPATRICK, RAILROAD MAN
By Tom Lovejoy, Grandson
Richard A. Fitzpatrick was the depot agent for the Great Northern Railway at St. Vincent, Minnesota and lived at Pembina, North Dakota, just across the bridge.
He was the only agent at the St. Vincent depot. He came west as a surveyor's rod holder for James J. Hill building the railroad from Minneapolis to Fargo. Then when the crews split up, his crew went north to Winnipeg. He was given his choice of terminals on the line as he stayed on the job from start to finish.
He had a photographic memory and could remember the numbers on the boxcars on each train that went by and retain it for up to two weeks. He rarely forgot anything. They would call him and ask which train had which car - tracing - and more often than not, he could tell them exactly which train and when.
He retired from the railroad with 75 years of service and did get a watch. He would send and receive messages on the telegraph with both hands simultaneously.
He bought bundles of factory seconds in the east each summer and had a sale in the back of the depot each fall for kids to get clothes for school, shoes too.
He had a big garden down by the river (across the street from his house) and when I was a boy he had raised a pet crow, Jim that had fallen from it's nest and had split its tongue so it could speak..it would fly down from the treetops and take food from his hand...he would say "hello Jim" and the bird would reply "hello Dick". The strawberries from his garden were some of the best in the country as the Red River would flood each spring and replenish the soil with fresh nutrients.
Many remember the tall skinny old man who ran the depot at St. Vincent, and the passel of kids he raised.
