One project Dallas County Conservation Museum Curator Pete Malmberg has been spending time on lately is the historic depots in Redfield and Dawson.

Malmberg says these buildings served the business districts of the once booming towns for many years and he wants to preserve their long history.

He says though towns with populations over 5,000 are are doing much better than people realize, those with less than 1,000 people are typically being given up on by state and federal agencies.

Though Malmberg says it’s unlikely Redfield or Dexter will ever return to the peak activity they enjoyed in 1910, they can still operate as living and breathing towns.  His hope is to help establish a strong tourism base for both communities.

Right now, Malmberg is looking for some old crates and wooden boxes to help make the Dawson Depot look like it did during its heyday.

Anyone who may have some they’d like to donate can contact Malmberg at 465-3577.