Meckling

Meckling, like so many small American towns, was built by progress, and it was progress that slowly took the town away. The town was named for railroad grading contractor Jonas S. Meckling, who helped to build the Dakota Southern Railway through the area in 1872. The stockyard business boomed, and the town grew into a lively shipping center. Many residents of nearby Lincoln moved to Meckling after it was platted in 1873., During the flood of 1881, the Meckling area suffered heavy losses in buildings and livestock. A grain elevator served as a refuge for eighty people who survived on one biscuit a day until they were rescued. Many people sought shelter at the homes of A. R. Piersol and C. N. Taylor, the only two-story houses in town. The flood began its destruction on 29 March, and it was not until August that most people were able to return to their homes., Citizens rebuilt, and in 1925 Meckling incorporated. With the advent of modern transportation, however, the town slowly faded. The final blow came when Highway 50 was expanded to four lanes; the main street and its buildings were buried under the highway., Captions: , C. N. Taylor house in 1890. It was moved from Lincoln and saved many residents during the 1881 flood., Meckling's first schoolhouse., Store and bank on the east side of Main Street, Meckling., Passengers boarding the train at the Meckling depot.