Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Narrow Gauge Depot-LaMotte

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Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Narrow Gauge Depot-LaMotte
LaMotte-railroad.jpg
USA Iowa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationMarket St.
La Motte, Iowa
Coordinates 42°17′33″N90°37′17″W / 42.29250°N 90.62139°W / 42.29250; -90.62139 Coordinates: 42°17′33″N90°37′17″W / 42.29250°N 90.62139°W / 42.29250; -90.62139
Arealess than one acre
Built1911
Architect Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad
MPS Advent & Development of Railroads in Iowa MPS
NRHP reference # 95000105 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 17, 1995

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Narrow Gauge Depot-LaMotte is a historic building formerly located in La Motte, Iowa, United States. The Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade & Western Railroad was incorporated in August 1877, to build a narrow-gauge railway from Bellevue to Cascade. Narrow-gauge was chosen because it was cheaper to build, and it could negotiate the tight turns on the rugged terrain better. [2] Construction began the following year, but lack of money doomed the project. The Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque and Minnesota Railroad took over the project, and it was completed on December 30, 1879. The first train reached Cascade on January 1, 1880. Ten months later they sold all their holdings to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, and this line became a branch line of the Milwaukee Road. That same year a frame depot was built in La Motte. It served as a combination freight and passenger station until it was destroyed by fire in 1910. This depot replaced it the following year. The 1½-story frame combination station represents the corporate style and standardized practices of the Milwaukee Road. [2] However, it reflects the depots they built in the late 19th century, so it was somewhat outdated when it was built.

The depot served its purpose until the Milwaukee Road abandoned the line in 1936. There were 12 to 15 narrow gauge railroads built in Iowa, and this one survived longer than any of the others. [2] [3] The depot mostly sat empty until its exterior was refurbished by a group of volunteers for La Motte's Centennial in 1979. Rick Clasen, a local restaurant owner, bought the property in 1994 and continued to refurbish it. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places the following year. [1] When Clasen sold the property he donated the building to the Jackson County Historical Society, who moved it to the Clinton Engines Site in Maquoketa, Iowa. [3]

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Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Combination Depot-Hornick United States historic place

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Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Combination Depot United States historic place

The Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Combination Depot is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. After the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, later the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, choose a different route for their north-south mainline, community leaders convinced them to build a spur to Decorah. This would open the town to larger markets to ship the products produced there. The tracks were completed in 1869, and a boxcar served as the first depot. That same year this single-story, wood frame structure with Greek Revival features was completed south of the central business district. It served as a combination depot, servicing both passengers and freight. After the arrival of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad in 1884 the Milwaukee Road started to plan a new passenger depot in Decorah. It was completed on the east end of the main commercial street in 1888. When it opened, this building continued to serve as a freight depot. Over the years its platforms were shortened, and sometime between the 1930s and the 1950s, the southwest end of the building was shortened. The Milwaukee Road abandoned the depot in 1971, and the tracks that flanked the building were removed the same year. The former depot itself was renovated for non-railroad use. This is believed to be a rare extant example of a wooden combination depot in Iowa. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 Rick and Dixie Clasen. "Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Narrow Gauge Depot-LaMotte". National Park Service . Retrieved 2016-06-30. with four photos from 1993
  3. 1 2 "The Last Narrow Gauge Depot in Iowa - our latest project!". Jackson County Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station
Zwingle
towards Cascade
Cascade  Bellevue Bellevue
Terminus