The railroad arrived in Northfield more than 150 years ago. The Northfield Historical Society (now the Northfield History Center), Carleton College, and St. Olaf College helped us gather a visual history of the city’s five depots. For many years, Northfield had three passenger depots: the 1888 Milwaukee Road Depot, the Chicago Great Western Depot, and the Dan Patch Depot. Our 1888 Milwaukee Road Depot is the only one that remains.
Northfield’s 1st Depot: Milwaukee Road, 1865
A small shed was built south of 3rd Street West when passenger service began to St. Paul. It is estimated to have been roughly 16 feet by 16 feet and moved in 1870.
Northfield’s 2nd Depot: Milwaukee Road, 1868
A wooden frame building (for both passenger and freight) was built next to the new Milwaukee elevator (some speculate that it was later moved and was part of the crumbling freight depot that used to be on the Q-Block).
Northfield’s 3rd Depot: Chicago Great Western, 1883
The 1883 depot was on the north side of 3rd Street and east of the tracks (on left). Brick was a preferred material over wood due to sparks produced by the trains. At the end of the street on the right, the photo shows the Farmer’s Home Hotel, now Basil’s Pizza. By 1910, there were 19 businesses on this street view looking east down 3rd Street between the railroad tracks and Water Street. By 1930, the Great Western Depot was used as freight depot and demolished in 1975.
Northfield’s 4th Depot: Milwaukee Road, 1888
The third Milwaukee Road Depot (Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul), a brick faced building, was built south of 3rd Street and east of tracks. With swooping hip roof and graceful flared, overhanging eaves held up by decorative timber brackets, Northfield’s 1888 depot offers an example of an architectural style typical of many Midwest train stations from 1870-1900, an example of what might be termed “Richardsonian Depot Vernacular.” The large overhang provides shelter for passengers when sitting or standing outside. (The immediate inspiration for the depot was probably the Milwaukee Depot in Decorah, Iowa, which Northfield railroad officials visited in September 1888.)
The original plan of the 1888-1889 depot included two waiting rooms (one for men and one for women), a baggage room, a central fireplace, and an office. This office was located in the bay window so that the controller could see the trains coming from both directions. Indoor restrooms were added in 1900. When the depot was remodeled in 1945, the dividing wall between the waiting rooms was removed.
The founders of both St. Olaf College and Carleton College indicated that their decision to locate in Northfield was largely due to the presence of rail service and the access it provided for their students.
Over time, a vibrant Northfield commercial district grew up around the passenger depots, freight houses, grain elevators, coaling yards, and other buildings associated with the rail lines. People often congregated around the depots to meet trains, witness mail and parcel deliveries, and converse with fellow townsfolk.
This plan shows the original 1888 depot with a planned baggage house connected by a pavilion. The baggage house was built, but no longer exists. The pavilion was never built.
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul Railroad & Pacific eliminated passenger and mail service on June 30, 1952. In 1980, the Northfield City Council designated the 1888 depot a Local Heritage Preservation Site.
Northfield’s 5th Depot: Dan Patch, 1910
The planned Dan Patch “interurban” rail (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, and Dubuque Electric Traction Company) targeted travelers and produce shipping in southern Minnesota. The rail reached Northfield in 1910, but was never extended south. It was later reorganized as the Minneapolis, Northfield, and Southern. Passenger service was eliminated in 1942.
