Little Falls and Dakota Depot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Little Falls and Dakota Depot
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The depot from the southeast
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 Location in Minnesota
Location in the United States
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| Location | Depot Lane, Starbuck, Minnesota |
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| Area | .83 acres (0.34 ha) |
| Built | 1882 |
| Built by | DeGraff and Company |
| NRHP reference No. | 06000424 |
| Added to NRHP | May 24, 2006 |
The Little Falls and Dakota Depot, also known as the Starbuck Depot, is an old train station in Starbuck, Minnesota. This building served as a busy railway station from 1882 until 1982. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. This means it is an important historical site for the local area.
The depot is special because it shows how train lines helped people move into new areas. It also shows how towns like Starbuck grew as places for trading farm goods. Starting in 1986, a group called the Starbuck Depot Society worked to fix up the old station. Today, it is part of an outdoor museum that you can visit.
Contents
The Depot's Story: A Look Back
Building the Railroads in Minnesota
In the early 1870s, train tracks were already built across Minnesota from east to west. But these tracks did not go through Pope County. Because of this, not many people lived there yet.
In 1879, some local business people started a company. They wanted to build a new train line. This line would go from Little Falls, Minnesota, all the way to the border of Dakota.
A Race for the Tracks
Two big train companies, the Northern Pacific Railway and the Great Northern Railway, were rivals. They both wanted to control the train lines across the country. They also wanted the valuable land rights that came with building new tracks.
The Great Northern Railway quickly started building its own tracks. These tracks were south of the Little Falls and Dakota line. They were building east towards Starbuck.
However, the Little Falls and Dakota company got to Starbuck first. This company was secretly supported by the Northern Pacific Railway. Getting there first meant they won the important mail delivery rights for the town. They then kept building their line to Morris.
The Great Northern's train traffic was not very busy on their line. So, the part of their track from Morris to Starbuck was soon closed. This happened not long after it was finished. In 1882, the Northern Pacific Railway rented the Little Falls and Dakota line. They bought it completely in 1900.
A Special Celebration at the Depot
For Starbuck's 100th birthday party on July 1, 1983, something amazing happened. The world's largest lefse was cooked right on the depot grounds! Lefse is a traditional Norwegian flatbread.
Since 1987, the city has held a yearly festival called Lefse Dagen. This fun event takes place at the depot site every year.
See also
