Kelly is a senior this year at NDSU and will be graduating in May with a History degree. He was born and grew up in Mandan, which sits on the banks of the Missouri river in central North Dakota. After Graduation Kelly hopes to go on to graduate school and specialize in classical history. Kelly will focus this semester on the 40 and 8 box car monument that stands on the capital grounds in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Prospectus:
In 1949, the Forty and Eight Boxcar monument was presented to North Dakota by the people of France. This monument was presented as a gift for the aid and sacrifices that were made by the people in the First World War. The main sources that I plan to use are the Bismarck Tribune, National Park Services, North Dakota Historical Society, and hopefully the French organization La Societe 40 et 8. My tentative hypothesis is that the Gratitude Train was donated by the Voiture 291 of La Societe 40 et 8 and erected on the Bismarck Capital Grounds in 1949 despite probable civilian indifference or even resentment for waging a conflict against Germany, from which many families felt ties of kinship.