Northfield, Minnesota Milwaukee Road/Union Depot
Northfield, Minnesota Milwaukee Road/Union Depot
The Milwaukee Road Depot (later Union Depot) in Northfield, Minnesota was built in 1888 and later shared with the Rock Island Line. The above photo shows it in its original location along the tracks currently used by Union Pacific.
This depot has a rich history which has been well-documented by the Northfield Historical Society and the town's two private colleges, Carlton and St. Olaf. It saw troops off to the Spanish-American War in 1898 and to the big wars that followed. It hosted whistle stops by William Howard Taft in 1903, Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 and Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952.
It was a stop on one of Rock Island's major routes, the "Twin Star Rocket " that ran from Minneapolis to Houston via Kansas City. During its active life, thousands of college students first set foot in Northfield when they stepped onto this depot’s platform.
The building was moved in January 2016 to a new location a short distance from its original location. Restoration is underway and plans for a transit hub are in the making.
For further information about the restoration and more history and photos, check out the Save the Northfield Depot website. They are still looking for donations to help with the depot's restoration. If you're reading this, you are obviously interested in railroad depots, so a donation would definitely be a worthy cause.
