Train to Ellsworth, River Falls and East

In the last (long ago....) Post I left you with lots of facts and figures, dates, quantities, etc.  This time I'm sharing more images, maps and hopefully items to better tell some more of the old story.  Obviously, River Falls was a much different place in the late 1800's as of course all of Pierce County was.  Here's a copy of the 1908 platbook, a few pages selected to highlight roads, some structures and in the end, the path of the Ellsworth Line. 

Much if not most of this content lifted directly from Arlyn Colby's The Ellsworth Line.  I received permission from him as long as I gave credit to sources, something I've tried to do in a reasonable fashion.  The level of detail here to things so specific likely not of interest to most, I get that.  But to a few friends that know the area well today and knew it 50 years ago, plus relatives with stories going back even further have a close connection and will find things of interest.  Request a refund if not satisfied and I'll compensate at the going rate.

 

 

 Note the size and name....Normal School....now the Univ of Wisconsin River Falls.

 

 

 

Original River Falls Depot,  1897 that served as passenger and freight station until the new depot was built. Photo courtesy of Joe Piersen

This 1965 photo shows the building being used as freight only. Clint Jones

 

 

 ".....The first newspaper, the River Falls Journal, began publishing in 1857.  River Falls was incorporated into a village in 1872 and as a city in 1885...."

"....River Falls businesses and residents had to rely on mule trains and water to haul the heavy goods and on stage coaches for personal travel.  In 1872 Abner Morse owned the stage, which "...could meet the Maiden Rock stage at Ellsworth and was a direct connection to the railroad at Frontenac...."

"....In 1870, residents petitioned the state legislature for a school of higher learning.  Building the Normal school began in 1875...."

"....With area farmers growing large amounts of wheat, in the 1880's there were five flour mills in River Falls.  In 1876, the flour mills made about 250 barrels of flour per day.  More than local residents could use, it was shipped by horse or mule teams to the St. Croix River for transport to railroad points....."

"....The railroad officially arrived on Saturday, October 26, 1878...."

".....In February 1879 the Hudson & River Falls Railway hauled the following out of River Falls....

    7280 lbs. of merchandise

    7000 ft. oak lumber

    3856 bushels of wheat

    1900 barrels of flour

    2070 lbs of machinery

    920 lbs. of potatoes

    2160 lobs of hides

    1200 lbs of tallow

    426 cords of wood

    800 fence posts

    1124 ties

    440 lbs of grass seed

    460 lbs of buckwheat

     

Totaling 2,088,530 lbs of freight.  During the same month, 397,825 lbs of merchandise were brought in...."

 

"....Production of both flour and timber jumped with the arrival of the railroad.  As an example, the output of Junction Mills went up to 300-400 barrels of flour per day compared to 250 barrels per day combined from all mills only 3 years before....."       

 

"....By 1880 River Falls was the largest flour manufacturer in northwestern Wisconsin..."

 

Arlyn Colby's maps.....

 

 ".....In 1887 the Junction Mill sent all their product to Washburn on Lake Superior for lake transportation...."

 

 

 

 "....As wheat production started moving west and farmers began diversifying their crops, milling became less profitable and was replaced by other industries.  The Junction Mill burned in 1896; all that remains today is a limestone and brick chimney that represents a once great flour industry.  The River Falls Municipal Utility now occupies the space...."

 

Photos courtesy of Brian Knudtson, Jayne Hoffman

 ".....In May 1895 the River Falls Journal reported that "The Omaha Railway depot in this city ought to be abated as a public nuisance.  It is a frequent occurrence that ladies and children have to wait there for hours to make connection to or from Ellsworth, but none of the conveniences considered absolutely indispensable to civilized people have been provided by the Railway Company although the matter has repeatedly been called to the attention of Mr. Winter.  There is no justification for the utter neglect to provide the public with some place where women and children can retire, and no similar case, in a city of the importance of River Falls exists.  Our Common Council should take some steps to make the railway officials pay attention."...."

Photo courtesy of C&NW Historical Society

 

 

Passengers arriving at the depot, 1908   Photo courtesy of C&NW Historical Society

 Arlyn Colby's maps....

Photo courtesy of UW-River Falls Archives

 ".....Excerpts from the River Falls Journal:  The erection of the new passenger station is an enterprise of wide public interest.  The old quarters are narrow and mean, distasteful to the citizens as well as uninviting to strangers.  The new station has all the elements of a metropolitan depot,, and is entirely adequate to the city's needs.  It is surrounded with a plant walk running sheer to the rails.  At the north end a baggage room and is cut from the office and waiting rooms.  It has a door on either side and is amply lighter.  Next to this lies the men's waiting room.  It leads by a wide lane past the ticket and telegraph office to the ladies' waiting room, which is of the same dimensions.  The office is fully enclosed and lighted by broad windows from the west.

Improvements included a baggage room and office at the north end, with separate mens' and womens' waiting rooms  lighted by bright windows and on the opposite side were toilet rooms.  The whole interior is sealed in white pine, the wainscoating will be grained and the walls and ceilings painted.

Outside the building presents a sprightly and really handsome appearance......"

"......The new depot opened August 1, 1897.  At the time when the Ellsworth Line was the best paying branch of the Omaha system, many people were employed at the depot.  A station agent, a telegraph operator, a baggage man, a freight agent, and two or three assistants were employed at the depot.  Before the radio became common, people gathered at the depot where the telegraph was the source of news for special occurrences such as wars, elections and big sporting events.  The operator also had the news relayed uptown to an assembly place, usually a hotel across the river,  The old depot became the freight house......"

C&NW Historical Society

 

 

Arlyn Colby map....

Photo courtesy of Jeff Bjork

C&NW Historical Society

Photo Courtesy of Lawrence Johnson

 

 

Arlyn Colby map....

"....A new coal shed 100' x 12' with a cement floor was built just north of the Standard Oil Company tanks in 1910.  This structure still remains in 2021 and is the only remaining railroad facility in River Falls....."

Photo courtesy of Jayne Hoffman

 

 

Photo courtesy of Pierce County Historical Society

Photos courtesy of UW-River Falls Archives

Arlyn Colby map....

Photos from Debra Bauer and River Falls Journal

Photos from Lawrence Johnson, UW-RF Archives, Loraine Anderson, Debra Bauer

Photo from Debra Bauer

Sanderson Collection - UW-RF Archives

"....John F. Kennedy visited River Falls twice, on a barn-storming trip in the fall of 1959 and on March 29, 1960 on a speaking campaign tour.  Although he traveled by automobile, his picture was taken by NBC in front of the depot, which by now had been vandalized and was looking in tough shape.  When the photograph appeared on national TV, the local newspaper expressed dismay that the picture was taken in front of a "pitifully sad building."  Details of what happened next are unknown, but the depot was removed by the end of July 1960.

The last train seen in River Falls left February 19, 1966 with some empty boxcars.  The freight depot existed until 2013 when the city obtained the property.  The area now has apartment buildings....." 

I'll finish here with the River Falls section's history, the next and last Ellsworth Line Post will be about the changes east of River Falls in Beldenville, a stop on the way to the end of the line in what has now become East Ellsworth.