Growing up in Menasha, most of us probably never gave it a second thought- we all know what Bluejays are, but what IS a Zephyr?
The St. Mary namesake is a tribute to the train above- the Burlington Zephyr- which debuted in the midst of the Great Depression in 1934 and held the land speed record at that time for a train, making the Denver to Chicago run in 13 hours and 5 minutes at an average speed of 77 mph. The stainless steel, streamlined trains epitomized the era of art deco fashion and glamorized what had become a mundane way of travel. Finally, excitement was to be had once again by the railroad industry and this lasted until interstates and freeways in the 1950's took root in America's consciousness as THE way to go.
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