Lake Superior, Willmar & Dakota Railroad

      I've finally gotten around to taking some pictures.  I jumped on my bike and rode up to the Glacial Lakes State Trail head, near the Willmar Senior High School.  The trail follows the path of the former Lake Superior, Willmar & Dakota Railroad company.  I have in my posession a copy of the 1974 Centennial History of Kandiyohi County.  "The Lake Superior, Willmar & Dakota Railroad Company was incorporated April 7, 1883.....Measures were adopted instructing the engineer, W. R. Gillis, to begin a survey of the proposed road on the 1st of May and to push the work as quickly as possible.  The original proposition to bond the county for the purpose of aiding in the construcion of a cross railroad had fallen through, but the men who were at the head of the Superior, Willmar, and Dakota railroad corporation were men of push and ability and brought things to a focus.  In June 1883, the matter of bonding the county of $65,000 was again submitted to the voters, and as will be seen by the following table, was carried by a small majority.  The bonds were for 20 years, bearing 6%.  Bonds for $65,000 were issued, conditional that the railroad should be built within a certain time along the route designated.  The county received $65,000 worth of the stock of the company at the face value.  The railroad was constructed and finally sold to the St. P. M. & M. Railroad Company.  The leading motive of the people in voting bonds for the new road was to secure competition.  The desired element was destroyed by the old company's purchase of the new line.  In April, 1886, the Lake Superior, Willmar & Dakota Railway Company offered to surrender the bonds issued by the county, if the $65,000 worth of capital stock be returned to the company.  This proposition was accepted, and on May 11, 1886, the bonds arrived by express.  After being carefully counted by the commisioners and auditor, they were burned in the presence of several citizens.  The stock issued to the county was returned, and also the indemnity bond given by the company.

      I also found a US Geological Survey Bulletin from 1890/91.  It says: The profile from St. Cloud to Willmar agrees with the Minneapolis and Pacific Railway at Paynesville, and with the Breckenridge Division at Willmar; and the profile of the Willmar and Sioux Falls Railway agrees with intersecting railways at Granite Falls, Hanley Falls, Marshall, Pipestone, and Sioux Falls.  

     I had previously been under the impression that this railroad was built solely to provide service between Willmar and St. Cloud.  However, it now appears it was apart of a larger plan to transport grain and other materials from southwestern MN to the docks in Duluth.  The line was eventually abandoned, although I can't find a date for abandonment.  Parts of the line still remain going north of Willmar, and terminate a hundred yards before the trail head.  I didn't go very far north of Willmar, only 3 1/2 miles but I'll do my best to get pics of other areas of the line next spring/summer.

 

 

 

Looking south towards Willmar.  The trail is very level and paved the whole way

What was once known as Grue Station.  At least I think so.  I looked at several older atlases and they seem to agree Grue was where the railway and the county road intersected.  According to my Centennial History: "Grue was an important loading station, on the rail line, located about halfway between Willmar and Spicer.  It was built as a loading station at a point on the railroad a mile east of Eagle Lake.  No other buildings were ever erected there, and Grue Station acheived an importance far out of proportion to it's size.  No evidence of it's existence is available today.  

 

 

 

 

Looking west towards Eagle Lake, roughly 1/4 mile north of Grue Station