In 1854, when the Chicago Burlington & Quincy railroad had been completed in Bureau County, David T. Nichols
was at Wyanet Station as the train was passing through, when Col. Charles G. Hammond invited him to take a
ride to Mendota, which he did. While on the way, Col. Hammond proposed he should take the position of Station
Agent at Wyanet. His answer was that he knew nothing of railroading, nor did he care to; however
Col. Hammond prevailed and he accepted the position. Mr. Nichols spent a half day with the agent from
Princeton and then studied out the remainder with himself. When first appointed agent, there was no depot
and as there were only day trains, he drove into the station from his farm and in the evening out again.
Afterward he had a boxcar for a depot, until a building was erected. Once during the Civil War several carloads
of soldiers had to be supplied with tickets and his were all used, so he took the power upon himself to
manufacture tickets, sign his name and sell them. They were accepted by the conductor and afterwards Mr.
Nichols received the compliments of the Superintendent for this procedure.
D. T. Nichols has been in the employ of the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad since 1854 and all this time he
has been agent at Wyanet, except for two years at Buda and with the exception of J.W. Cothrin of Galesburg,
he is the oldest employee of the road. He has also served as the agent for the American Express Company while
employed at the railroad. Mr. Nichols has grown old in the service of this great railroad but has grown in the
esteem of the officials and all having business with the line at this point.
David Thomas Nichols retired from the Chicago Burlington & Quincy railroad in 1893.
Source: Wyanet Record December 22nd 1927
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