COUNTYCOUNTY|
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| EXISTING STATIONS | ||||||||
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| Station Name |
Original Railroad | Current Location |
Type | Date Built |
Current Use |
Track Status |
Building Material |
More Info |
| Appleton |
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2270 90th Street SW (GPS: 45.196685, -96.035927) |
C | 1914 | Residence | None | Wood |  |
| Appleton |
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Cottonwood Creek Hunting Preserve 1160 100th Street SW, Danvers (GPS: 45.181335, -95.809623) |
C | 1935 | Club | None | Wood | |
| clontarf |
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100 Becker Avenue (GPS: 45.377807, -95.677309) |
C | 1878 | Storage | In Use | Wood |
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| De Graff |
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On a farm east of Clontarf on 20th Avenue NW just north of 45th Street NW (GPS: 45.363552,-95.624603) |
C | 1876 | Residence | None | Wood |
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| Holloway |
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On a farm east of Clontarf on 20th Avenue NW just north of 45th Street NW (GPS: 45.363423,-95.625182) |
C | 1901 | Storage | None | Wood | |
| STATIONS OF THE PAST | ||||||||
| Station Name |
Original Railroad |
Notes | ||||||
| Appleton |
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The first Appleton depot was a 2-story station at the west end of Rooney Street (formerly Centre Street) on the east side of the tracks at GPS: 45.199032, -96.024930. It was replaced with a new one-story station (still standing) sometime between 1899-1909 at the same location. that second station is the one that was moved west of town to serve as a residence. | ||||||
| Appleton |
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The original GN station here was on the east side of North Hering Street (formerly Franklin Street) at GPS: 45.207565, -96.017133. It was built in 1885. | ||||||
| Benson |
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The first station in Benson was built by the Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway in 1871. It burned down on Halloween 1889 (The Saint Paul Globe, 11-1-1889) due to a defective chimney. | ||||||
| Benson |
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This was the second station in Benson. It was on Atlantic Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets on the north side of the tracks at GPS: 45.314721, -95.600977. | ||||||
| Benson |
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The third station in Benson was built in 1906 to replace the station listed above. It was on Pacific Avenue at 15th Street on the south side of the tracks at GPS: 45.315000, -95.602901. | ||||||
| Benson (Litchfield) |
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This station was originally in Benson (the 4th generation station there) and was built in 1967 (West Central Tribune, 7-31-1967) and closed in 1984 (West Central Tribune, 9-29-1984). It was several blocks east of where the the brick GN station was. It was built to eliminate trains blocking three grade crossings in the middle of town. When the old Great Northern depot at Litchfield was razed in 1985, this station was moved from Benson to Litchfield as a replacement. In Litchfield (Meeker Co.) it was on Sibley Avenue South between West Depot and West Darwin Streets at GPS: 45.125937, -94.529167. | ||||||
| Danvers |
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Built in 1898, this station measured 30'x48'. | ||||||
| Holloway (Norton) |
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The first station built here was in 1898 with a larger station (24'x48') built in 1901 (see above). | ||||||
| Junction |
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This station was 1 mile from Benson and 7 miles from Danvers. | ||||||
| Kerkhoven |
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| Murdock |
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This was the first station in Murdock. It burned in 1918 and a new station was built. | ||||||
| Murdock |
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| Swift Falls |
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The Duluth, Iowa & Dakota RR was begun in 1879, but never completed. There was at least a grade between Benson and Swift Falls. It is visible on the Minnesota Atlas & Gazeteer and can be seen on Google Maps. It's not clear if there was ever rail laid or if there was ever service to Swift Falls. So, it's not clear if there was a station here. | ||||||
| 1898 SWIFT COUNTY RAILROAD MAP | ||||||||
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Notes About Existing Stations... Appleton (CM&St.P) - The original location of this station was at the west end of Rooney Street (formerly Centre Street) on the east side of the tracks at GPS: 45.199032, -96.024930. Appleton (GN) - This station was built in 1935 (Willmar Weekly Tribune, 1-9-1935). Its original location was likely the same as the first station on the east side of Hering Street. Clontarf (GN) - This station is now part of Glacial Plains Coop (formerly Johnson Fertilizer). It has been enclosed and heavily modified. It is unrecognizable as a depot now, so it's not even clear which part of the building this is. The station closed in 1901. DeGraff (GN)- Both the Degraff and Holloway station are on this site. Half of the Degraff station was torn down and the other half was moved to this farm and became a house. It is virtually unrecognizable as a depot now. Apparently the property was formerly owned by a GN section foreman who moved the building to the property originally. Before a school was built in DeGraff in 1878, classes were held in the depot (probably a station of older vintage than the existing one). |
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