Princeton, Minnesota Great Northern Depot
Princeton, Minnesota Great Northern Depot
In spite of a decline that had started in 1899, in 1902 Great Northern invested about $15,594 (the local press inflated the cost to $20,000) in a brand new brick structure to replace the red, wooden station that had been there since the Elk River-Milaca Line opened. The new depot was dedicated Friday January 30, 1903 with approximately 500 people attending the ceremony. Festivities included, of course, speeches by political luminaries and other local dignitaries, a dance at Jesmer’s opera house, and a very lavish supper at the Commercial Hotel. A special train carrying two coaches of revelers from Milaca arrived at 8:15 PM. The merrymaking reportedly continued until almost 4:00 AM when the special train for the Milaca people departed.
The depot, designed by J. C. Patterson and constructed by Libby & Nelson of Minneapolis, was a marvel of its day and was considered by some to be the finest depot within 200 miles of the Twin Cities. Its 215 foot length, 35 foot height and 37+ foot width dwarfed other structures in Princeton. The building, a combination of Queen Anne and Jacobean architectural styles, was built of Princeton cream colored brick produced in nearby Brickton, sandstone trim and a red cedar shingled roof. Passengers boarded trains from a stone platform.
The Princeton Depot had two "sister" depots that were almost identical in design. The Great Northern Depot in Litchfield Minnesota was built circa 1902 and sadly was razed in 1985. Bellingham, Washington's Great Northern Depot was also built in 1902, but it burned in 1924.
The depot is now the home of the Mille Lacs County Historical Society and contains all of the county’s historical archives of photos, newspapers, microfilm, artifacts and documents.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, NRHP Reference # 77000757.
You can read more about the Princeton Depot, its sisters, and the Elk River-Milaca Line on my Beyond the Pins site.
