North Dakota's worst rail disaster occurred on August 9, 1945, at 7:20 PM, one thousand feet west of this site on a one-degree curve to the west, when the first section of a Great Northern passenger train made an emergency stop and the engine of the second section struck it from behind. The two Empire Builders were traveling to the West Coast as a pair; the first section carried Pullman sleeper cars with 237 aboard, and the second carried between 600 and 700 passengers in coach cars. A new crew came on in Fargo, with section one leaving at 3:25 and section two about ten minutes later, and the passengers were almost all military men and women as World War II was winding down and would officially end within the week. The first engine had developed a burning wheel bearing and had to stop, in fact stopping three times, and signals were left to warn the following train. The following engineer slowed for a number of miles but then resumed to 55, and when he came upon the stalled train he applied the emergency brakes and shut off all power, but could slow only to 30 miles per hour before impact. The second engine plunged into the rear car of section one, sending it skyward and splitting it down the middle. One serviceman saw the second train coming and jumped out the window; the remaining 34 in that car were either killed instantly or overcome by steam escaping from the engine below. Roughly two-thirds of those killed were military personnel, while the rest were primarily women and two small children, and only one person was found alive, a woman trapped with her head outside a window, who died after being released. Within minutes, the people of Michigan, population 500, began rescue efforts as welders fetched equipment to cut through steel and rubble, people lined up cars and aimed headlights at the wreck until other lighting could be arranged, and residents provided coffee, food, space, and typewriters to reporters. Amazingly, the crew survived.