Fred M. Intlekofer

INTLEKOFER, KELLEHER, GIBBS, BOECRE, KURT, JOHANSEN

Posted By: Diana Henry Diedrich (email)
Date: 2/20/2007 at 23:16:20

His 52 Year Career Tells Part of History of Waukon Railroading

Waukon – Much of the history of railroading in Waukon is tied up in the 52-year career of Fred M. Intlekofer, who has retired as telegraph operator and station agent.

Intlekofer began work as assistant station agent June 4, 1908, under the supervision of E. B. Gibbs, who had been the agent since the first train steamed into Waukon Oct. 27, 1877. When Gibbs retired he was replaced by Intlekofer. So the station in Waukon has been served by only 2 men since the first train.

Minnesota Native.
Intlekofer was born at Red Wing, Minn. April 24, 1881. His family moved to Lansing, Ia., where he was to learn telegraphy and station work under Julius Boecre. Before coming to Waukon he was night and relief operator at Lansing.

Mr. Intlekofer often put in 15 hours a day. He was always on hand for the 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. trains. In earlier days he also remembers delivering as many as 30 telegrams a day, which meant walking all over Waukon.

He was busy with civic activities too. He was on the Waukon school board for 15 years, on the Allamakee county school board for years, chairman of the county defense board from 1941 until after the war: mayor of Waukon for 2 terms; on the city council for 18 years and secretary of the Knights of Columbus for 21 years.

50th Anniversary
Mr. Intlekofer and his wife, Mabel, will celebrate year their 50th wedding anniversary Oct. 10. They have 3 sons, Dr. James Intlekofer, of Monticello; Charles, an engineer for the Great Northern railroad at Seattle. Wash. and Francis, of Waukon, and 2 daughters, Ruth Ann, at home, and Mrs. Karl Kelleher, a teacher in Cedar Rapids. There are 23 grand-children.

Intlekofer’s assistant, Francis Kurt, Waukon station clerk for 20 years, will become the night man at Marquette.

Ernest Johansen of Dubuque has temporarily been named to succeed Intlekofer.

source: Cedar Rapids Gazette; 22 Jan 1961
Transcribed by Diana Henry Diedrich