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Holocaust Rails cattle car exhibit
The Tolerance Alliance logo

Holocaust Rails

Desperate Passage

Sioux City Railroad Museum

A profoundly moving exhibit of remembrance and education — sponsored by the Tolerance Alliance.

Visit the ExhibitEvents

The Tolerance Alliance

Fostering tolerance through remembrance, education, and the arts.

The Tolerance Alliance is the nonprofit organization that sponsors Tolerance Week and Holocaust Rails at the Sioux City Railroad Museum. We educate, enlighten, and inspire students, families, teachers, and the public about the Holocaust and other injustices — and call a new generation to action: never again.

Our StorySupport Our Work
Holocaust Rails exhibit walkway

Featured Exhibit

Holocaust Rails

Desperate Passage

Walk the rails of history inside an immersive cattle-car exhibit that places visitors in the path of remembrance — intimate, educational, and unforgettable.

Exhibit Information

Plan Your Visit

Visiting Hours

Holocaust Rails is open seasonally at the Sioux City Railroad Museum. Visits are also available by appointment.

June, July and August

  • Thursday–Saturday: 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
  • Sunday: 12:00 PM–4:00 PM

April, May, September and October

  • Saturday: 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
  • Sunday: 12:00 PM–4:00 PM

Visits are also available by appointment.

Field trips and special tours can be scheduled by calling 712-255-4346.

Sioux City Railroad Museum
3400 Sioux River Road, Sioux City, IA 51109
Museum website

Visitor Voices

“Just a note to say how moved I was at Holocaust Rails. I have visited several camps in Europe, including Auschwitz, and what you have done to give a sense of that horror to those who visit is a tremendous gift. I travel this country a lot and am constantly struck by how varied and rich are its places and tributes. Holocaust Rails is exceptional among them all — particularly because of its emphasis on reaching young people.”
Stuart Paterson · Holocaust Rails visitor

Latest

News & Updates

All News
Painting of railroad tracks leading through flowers to a brick camp entrance beneath a red sky.

Essay and Art Contest Results Announced

Kelli Schnell wins the Ella Holtzen Memorial Art Contest; Adeline Sanchez-Garcia wins the essay contest with All Flowers Will Blossom.

Drawing split between a barbed-wire camp and a colorful city, connected by a large hourglass.

Special Art Awards Announced

Special art awards recognized outstanding student work from North and West Middle Schools.

A weathered wooden railcar stands inside a blue-lit museum beside an accessible walkway.

Holocaust Rails Reopening for the Season

Holocaust Rails will be open Saturdays from 10-4 and Sundays from 12-4 during April and May. On June 1st, normal summer hours of Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10-4 and Sundays 12-4 will resume. Tours are available by app...

Metal bowl, ladle, perforated disk, and other artifacts in a glass display case.

Give

Help sustain Holocaust Rails and Tolerance Week

Your support maintains the exhibit and brings educational programs to Siouxland students and families.

Donate Today

Our Partners

Briar Cliff University logo with small blue and orange name text and a gray tagline.
Sioux City Conservatory of Music logo with chunky orange name text outlined in black.
Gilchrist Foundation logo with black serif name text beside a circular black monogram.
Sioux City Human Rights Commission logo with black name text beneath brown, tan, and red building shapes.
Humanities Iowa logo with black name text and a dotted circle around a lowercase h.
Lewis & Clark logo with a blue, red, and white compass-star mark inside a gray circle above black center text.
Lifelong Learning logo with black script text beneath interlocking red, green, blue, and orange shapes.
Mid-America Museum logo with black name text, a white airplane, and a gray roadway on a blue gradient panel.
Morningside College logo with a black M, narrow red, yellow, and blue stripes, and black name text.
Missouri River Historical Development logo with large blue “MRHD” letters, a white river curve, and a gray name line.
National Endowment for the Humanities logo with a lime-green radiating flower mark and black name text.
National Music Museum logo with a red-and-gray panel, dark red stringed-instrument silhouette, large white name text, and a small black affiliation line.
Orpheum Theatre logo with a centered red ornate “Orpheum” wordmark on white.
Powell Broadcasting logo with bold black name text beside a geometric black arrow mark.
Sioux City Art Center logo with black serif name text and a teal-and-black curved building mark.
Sioux City Public Museum logo with black uppercase name text beneath a red, orange, and pink geometric building mark.
Siouxland Public Media logo with black and orange name text, a blue broadcast tower, and red signal arcs.
Logo stored for South Sioux City Schools with stacked black school-name text, a teal square and white abstract figure, and a gray tagline.
University of South Dakota logo with a red interlocking SD monogram and black uppercase name text.
Western Iowa Tech logo with white “WIT” letters on a green block, a yellow Iowa shape, and black “Community College” text.
Sioux City Symphony Orchestra logo with a black looping S mark and stacked black name text.
Jewish Federation of Sioux City logo with black name text, a menorah, and a rectangular frame.
Siouxland Community Foundation logo with an orange classical column beside black name text.
Cargill logo with a bold black wordmark beneath a sweeping green arch.
Iowa Economic Development logo with teal “IOWA” and name text beside a yellow-and-green landscape circle.
The Kind World Foundation logo with black serif name text beside a black hand-drawn globe mark.
Sioux City Museum logo mark with maroon, orange, and muted pink geometric building shapes and horizontal lines.
Briar Cliff University logo with small blue and orange name text and a gray tagline.
Sioux City Conservatory of Music logo with chunky orange name text outlined in black.
Gilchrist Foundation logo with black serif name text beside a circular black monogram.
Sioux City Human Rights Commission logo with black name text beneath brown, tan, and red building shapes.
Humanities Iowa logo with black name text and a dotted circle around a lowercase h.
Lewis & Clark logo with a blue, red, and white compass-star mark inside a gray circle above black center text.
Lifelong Learning logo with black script text beneath interlocking red, green, blue, and orange shapes.
Mid-America Museum logo with black name text, a white airplane, and a gray roadway on a blue gradient panel.
Morningside College logo with a black M, narrow red, yellow, and blue stripes, and black name text.
Missouri River Historical Development logo with large blue “MRHD” letters, a white river curve, and a gray name line.
National Endowment for the Humanities logo with a lime-green radiating flower mark and black name text.
National Music Museum logo with a red-and-gray panel, dark red stringed-instrument silhouette, large white name text, and a small black affiliation line.
Orpheum Theatre logo with a centered red ornate “Orpheum” wordmark on white.
Powell Broadcasting logo with bold black name text beside a geometric black arrow mark.
Sioux City Art Center logo with black serif name text and a teal-and-black curved building mark.
Sioux City Public Museum logo with black uppercase name text beneath a red, orange, and pink geometric building mark.
Siouxland Public Media logo with black and orange name text, a blue broadcast tower, and red signal arcs.
Logo stored for South Sioux City Schools with stacked black school-name text, a teal square and white abstract figure, and a gray tagline.
University of South Dakota logo with a red interlocking SD monogram and black uppercase name text.
Western Iowa Tech logo with white “WIT” letters on a green block, a yellow Iowa shape, and black “Community College” text.
Sioux City Symphony Orchestra logo with a black looping S mark and stacked black name text.
Jewish Federation of Sioux City logo with black name text, a menorah, and a rectangular frame.
Siouxland Community Foundation logo with an orange classical column beside black name text.
Cargill logo with a bold black wordmark beneath a sweeping green arch.
Iowa Economic Development logo with teal “IOWA” and name text beside a yellow-and-green landscape circle.
The Kind World Foundation logo with black serif name text beside a black hand-drawn globe mark.
Sioux City Museum logo mark with maroon, orange, and muted pink geometric building shapes and horizontal lines.