Clinton station (Minnesota) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clinton
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| Former Milwaukee Road passenger rail station | |||||||||||
Clinton's Milwaukee Road depot from the southwest
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| Location | Main Street, Clinton, Minnesota 56225 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | July 2, 1884 | ||||||||||
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Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | Clinton, Minnesota | ||||||||||
| Built | 1885 | ||||||||||
| Architect | Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul R.R. | ||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 86002118 | ||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | July 31, 1986 | ||||||||||
The Clinton Depot is a really old and important railway station in Clinton, Minnesota. It used to be called the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Depot. Today, it's a cool local history museum for the Clinton area.
This historic building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Inside, you can see beautiful hardwood floors. There's also fancy wood paneling called wainscoting in the waiting room. The building has an office in the middle and a freight (cargo) room at one end. The museum shows off many interesting things. You can find military items, old farm tools, train stuff, and lots of photos. There are also old newspapers and other historic items from Clinton.
The Railroad Line's History
The story of the railroad in Clinton began in 1883. The Fargo and Southern railroad company built a loading platform. It was about two miles south of Clinton and was called Rupert.
Just two years later, in 1885, they moved their station to Clinton. It was known as Batavia until at least 1899. The Fargo and Southern line built tracks from Ortonville to the South Dakota border. These tracks went right through Clinton in 1884.
In 1885, the company sold its line to the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. The very first train to travel all the way on this line ran on July 2, 1884.
From 1885 until the late 1920s, four trains stopped at the Clinton depot every day. This included morning freight and passenger trains heading north to Fargo. There was also an afternoon train and an evening passenger train going south.
How Telegraphs Connected People
At the depot, there was a sign that said "Western Union Telegraph Office." Railroads did more than just carry mail and newspapers. They also brought a new way to communicate: the telegraph.
Depot agents, who worked at the station, had to be telegraphers. This meant they knew how to send messages using Morse code. They handled messages for the railroad itself. But they also sent messages for the public.
Telegraphy was the fastest way to send news, business updates, and personal messages back then. People used telegrams a lot until the late 1940s.
J.P. Pratt became the depot agent in 1891. He had learned telegraphy before coming to Clinton. While Mr. Pratt was the agent, a young man named Frank Petrick became interested. Frank learned Morse code and how to use the telegraph from him. Mr. Petrick started working as the depot agent in 1901. He stayed in that job, except for one year, until he retired in 1945.
Business, especially moving freight, grew so much that Frank's wife, Alice Condit Petrick, was hired. She worked as a depot assistant from 1909 to 1934. In 1900, a sleeping car was added to the passenger train. This meant people could sleep during long journeys. Old maps from 1904 show the railroad depot was north of Main Street. It was right next to the crown elevator, which stored grain.
When the Train Line Closed
Daily train service continued until May 1930. That's when Sunday passenger trains were stopped. After 1932, a freight train with one passenger coach offered "mixed" service. This meant it carried both cargo and people. This mixed service continued until 1956.
In 1935, a group called the Campbell Post American Legion bought an old railroad coach. They put it on their lot and used it as their meeting hall. A.L. Makinster took over from Frank Petrick as the depot agent in 1945. He worked there until 1969.
On December 16, 1968, the Milwaukee Road stopped running passenger trains numbers 15 and 16. These trains used to travel between Chicago and Tacoma, Washington. The Milwaukee depot in Clinton officially closed on December 12, 1969.
The entire train line was finally closed on March 1, 1980. The tracks were removed a year later. By 1980, the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad was in financial trouble. The train line could only survive if it received a lot of money to help it.
