Wilton station (Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wilton
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| Former Rock Island Line passenger rail station | |||||||||||
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| Location | Cherry Street and East Third Street, Wilton, Iowa 52778 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Closed | 1974 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1898 | ||||||||||
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Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad-Wilton Depot
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | N. Railroad St. Wilton, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre | ||||||||||
| Built | 1898 | ||||||||||
| Architectural style | Romanesque | ||||||||||
| Part of | Wilton Commercial Historic District (ID16000606) | ||||||||||
| NRHP reference No. | 88001326 | ||||||||||
| Added to NRHP | August 25, 1988 | ||||||||||
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad-Wilton Depot is an old train station in Wilton, Iowa, United States. It was once a busy stop for trains on the famous Rock Island Line. Today, it is a historic building that tells a story about how railroads helped towns grow.
Contents
What is the Wilton Train Depot?
A "depot" is another word for a train station. This specific depot was built for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, often called the CRI&P or "Rock Island Line." It was a place where passengers could get on and off trains and where goods were loaded and unloaded.
Early Railroad Days
The very first train tracks in Wilton were built in 1855. They belonged to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad. A few years later, this railroad became part of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.
At first, Wilton had a wooden train station and a separate building for freight (goods). The railroad even had a special center in Wilton for repairing and maintaining trains. This repair center stayed in Wilton until 1881. After that, these operations started to move to other cities like Davenport and Muscatine.
A New Station for More Trains
Even though the repair center moved, more and more trains were using the Rock Island Line. This meant Wilton needed a bigger and better train station. So, in 1898, a new, single-story brick building was finished. It was built in a style called Romanesque Revival.
This new station was very busy! In 1911, six passenger trains stopped in Wilton every day. By 1922, people could even travel to and from Chicago on the same day. While freight trains continued to pass through, the number of passenger trains started to go down. By 1948, only one passenger train stopped in Wilton.
The Station's Later Years
From 1963 to 1974, the Wilton Depot only had part-time service. This means it wasn't open all the time. Finally, in 1974, the train station officially closed its doors.
After closing, the building was not used for a while and started to fall apart. Luckily, the Wilton Historical Society stepped in. They worked hard to get the building and restore it.
A Historic Landmark Today
Because of its important history, the former Wilton Depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. This is a special list of places in the United States that are important to history.
In 2016, the depot was also recognized as a "contributing property" to the Wilton Commercial Historic District. This means it is an important part of a larger historic area in Wilton.
