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

Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Narrow Gauge Depot-LaMotte
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Iowa Show map of Iowa Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Market St. La Motte, Iowa
Area	less than one acre
Built	1911
Architect	Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad
MPS	Advent & Development of Railroads in Iowa MPS
NRHP reference No.	95000105
Added to NRHP	February 17, 1995

The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Narrow Gauge Depot-LaMotte is a historic building. It was once a train station in La Motte, Iowa, United States.

In August 1877, a company called the Chicago, Bellevue, Cascade & Western Railroad was formed. Their goal was to build a special kind of railway. It would be a narrow-gauge railway connecting Bellevue to Cascade.

A narrow-gauge railway has tracks that are closer together than regular tracks. This design was cheaper to build. It also made it easier for trains to go around sharp turns in hilly areas.

Construction started in 1878. But the company ran out of money, and the project stopped. Another company, the Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque and Minnesota Railroad, took over. They finished the railway on December 30, 1879. The first train arrived in Cascade on January 1, 1880.

Ten months later, the railway was sold. It became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. This larger company was often called the "Milwaukee Road." The new line became a smaller "branch line" of their main network.

In 1880, a wooden train station was built in La Motte. It was used for both passengers and cargo. Sadly, this station was destroyed by fire in 1910. The depot we are talking about replaced it the next year, in 1911.

This new depot was a 1½-story wooden building. It was built in the typical style of the Milwaukee Road. Even though it was built in 1911, its design looked like older stations from the late 1800s.

The Depot's Purpose

The La Motte depot served its community for many years. It was a busy place where people boarded trains and goods were loaded. The Milwaukee Road used this line until 1936. That year, the company decided to stop using the railway. This is called "abandoning the line."

Iowa had about 12 to 15 narrow-gauge railroads. The La Motte line was special because it stayed in use longer than any of the others. After 1936, the depot mostly sat empty.

Saving a Piece of History

In 1979, the town of La Motte celebrated its 100th birthday. For this event, a group of volunteers worked to fix up the outside of the old depot. They wanted to make it look nice again.

In 1994, a local restaurant owner named Rick Clasen bought the property. He continued to fix up the building. Because of its history, the depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. This list includes important historical sites in the United States.

Later, when Rick Clasen sold the property, he gave the depot building away. He donated it to the Jackson County Historical Society. They decided to move the entire building. It was carefully moved to the Clinton Engines Site in Maquoketa, Iowa. This move helped save the historic building for future generations.