Little Blacknose: The Story of a Pioneer

The first steam locomotive to be operated in the state of New York, and the fourth to be built in the United States (parts of it were cast at the West Point Foundry, in Cold Spring), the DeWitt Clinton - named for the sixth governor of New York State, who was responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal - made its debut in 1831, as part of the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad. With its carriages strung along behind, it is probably not quite what most people have in mind, when they think of the steam-powered trains of the nineteenth century, but then, as the sub-title of Hildegarde Hoyt Swift's Little Blacknose makes clear, the DeWitt Clinton was a pioneer.

One of six titles chosen to receive a Newbery Honor, in 1930 - the others include: show more A Daughter of the Seine: The Life of Madame Roland, Pran of Albania, The Jumping-Off Place, The Tangle-Coated Horse and Other Tales: Episodes from the Fionn Saga, and Vaino: A Boy of New Finland - this brief book is a fictionalized "biography" of the DeWitt Clinton, told from his perspective, and following his story from his early days in the foundry, through the glories of his first exhibition, his years shuttling back and forth between Albany and Schenectady, his retirement to a dusty storeroom, his rehabilitation for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, and his eventual display in New York City's Grand Central Station.

In between is plenty of anthropomorphic hand-wringing, as DeWitt Clinton alternately resents or triumphs over the horses he replaces, as well as his fellow engine, and eventual friend, John Bull (a locomotive made in England). Ironically, since the conclusion of the tale sees him happily ensconced at Grand Central, and spared the horror of the scrap pile, the real DeWitt Clinton was scrapped, and a replica of him built for the World Fair, and for display at Grand Central. Leaving that aside, while I can see Little Blacknose: The Story of a Pioneer having some interest for train enthusiasts, and New York State history buffs (not to mention Newbery completists like myself), I don't think it is that engaging, in and of itself. I found the narration a little irritating, and just didn't identify that much with the protagonist's trials and tribulations. show less