Title	French Gratitude Train on railroad tracks
Subject	World War II Postwar Europe France International relations French Gratitude Train
Time Period	1950s
Place	Ohio
Description	Photograph of the exterior of the French Gratitude Train parked on an unknown set of railroad tracks in Ohio. On the exterior are crests from the different regions of France. In 1948 the United States sent a large shipment of food, fuel and clothing to Le Havre, France, to be distributed to needy people in the war-torn country. To reciprocate, the French people collected gifts, including hand-made toys and crafts and local specialities, to send to the United States. The gifts filled 49 box cars, one for each state and one to be shared by Hawaii and Washington, D.C. The train, known as the "Gratitude Train" "Train de la Reconnaissance" or "Merci Train" arrived in the United States in 1949. The boxcars were "40 & 8" type cars that had been used to transport troops during World War I and World War II. The Ohio train traveled through the state from June 5 through October 22, 1950.
Date of Original	1950
Collection	French Gratitude Train Collection
Source	SC 1344
Format	picture black-and-white photograph
Extent	20 x 25 cm
Submitting Institution	Ohio Historical Society
Rights	Online access is provided for research purposes only. For rights and reproduction requests or more information, go to http://www.ohiohistory.org/images/information
Type	StillImage
File Name	SC1344_12.tif
Image Height	4934
Image Width	6064
File Size	89776508 Bytes
Date created	2013-05-17

French Gratitude Train on railroad tracks

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