Visitors were treated to an extensive collection of historic Dawson photographs courtesy of the museum staff as part of the day’s program. (Photo by Nick Pappas)

A funny thing happened moments into my Dawson book presentation Saturday afternoon at the Tucumcari Railroad Museum.

A roaring freight train rushed by the depot, interrupting my talk and prompting laughter among the roughly 50 folks in attendance.

“That seems appropriate,” I said, before playfully pointing to a gentleman in the audience. “Frank, that was your doing, right? You set that up.”

Even if he had, I was so grateful he was there.

Four years ago, when I was in the early stages of conducting research for Crosses of Iron: The Tragic Story of Dawson New Mexico and Its Twin Mining Disasters, Frank Turner emailed me from his home in North Carolina.

Frank had heard I was working on a book about Dawson and offered to help. That would lead to a one-hour telephone interview a few months later about his Dawson boyhood memories, which became part of the book.

While Frank never lived in Dawson, he told me one of his fondest childhood memories was accompanying his brakeman/conductor father on trips on the Dawson Railway, the 132-mile branch that connected the Dawson coalfields to his hometown of Tucumcari.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to learn a few months earlier that Frank and his wife, Rosalee, would be in town for my Dawson presentation and book signing.

That I was there to see him recognized with a plaque for his numerous contributions to the museum he helped found – most recently leading the fund-raising drive for improvements to the meeting room that now bears his name – was an added bonus.

As it turned out, Frank wasn’t the only one there with a connection to Dawson. Before my talk, a gentleman pulled me aside to tell me his older sister once worked at the mercantile store in Dawson. Later, while signing books, I met a woman who said she lives in an old Dawson house that was moved to Tucumcari after the town closed in 1950.

Small world, indeed.

As a first-time author, I couldn’t have asked for a warmer reception from Connie Loveland, executive director of Tucumcari MainStreet, and her dedicated staff.

My appearance was supplemented by a wonderful exhibit of historic Dawson photographs spearheaded by museum volunteer Laura Love. The museum also live-streamed the entire presentation after receiving a request from someone who intended to be there but was unable to do so. (At last check, the live-stream has been viewed more than 750 times.)

In closing, I want to thank Connie for the invitation to speak at the museum, and Frank and Rosalee for making the trip from North Carolina to be there.

And for those with an interest in railroads or New Mexico history, I would recommend a trip to the museum, which is located inside the old Union Station train depot that dates to 1926. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Who knows? Maybe a deafening train will whistle by during your visit too.