Minburn station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Minburn
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| Former Milwaukee Road passenger rail station | |
Minburn station in February 2017.
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| Location | 210 4th Street, Minburn, Iowa 50167 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1869 |
| Closed | April 19, 1959 |
| Rebuilt | 1914 |
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Minburn Railroad Depot
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 210 4th St. Minburn, Iowa |
| Built | 1914 |
| NRHP reference No. | 15000863 |
| Added to NRHP | December 7, 2015 |
The Minburn station is an old train station building in Minburn, Iowa, United States. It has a long and interesting history. Today, it is no longer a train station. Instead, it serves people who use the Raccoon River Valley Trail.
Contents
The Story of Minburn Train Station
Building a Railroad Town
The town of Minburn began in 1869. This was the same year that the Des Moines Valley Railroad built train tracks. These tracks connected Des Moines to Fort Dodge. A simple wooden building was built to serve as the first train station, also called a depot.
Over the years, different railroad companies used these tracks. In the 1890s, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad leased the line. Then, in 1906, the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway took over.
From Trains to Trails
The original wooden depot was destroyed by a fire. A new, stronger brick building replaced it in 1914. This is the building you can see today.
Trains continued to use the station for many years. The very last passenger train left the Minburn depot on April 19, 1959. A different company, the Chicago and North Western Railway, bought the line in 1960. The last freight train used the depot the next year, in 1961.
After the trains stopped, the depot was no longer used for its original purpose. However, a project began in 2007 to restore the old building. It was moved a short distance from its first spot. Now, it sits along the Raccoon River Valley Trail. This trail used to be the old railroad tracks.
Today, the Minburn station has a new life. It is home to a cafe and offers restrooms for people using the trail.
A Historic Landmark
Because of its history and importance, the Minburn Railroad Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. This means it is recognized as a special historical site in the United States.
