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Northern Pacific Depot (Aitkin, Minnesota)
Encyclopedia
The Northern Pacific Depot in Aitkin, Minnesota
is a brick passenger depot built on the Northern Pacific Railway
mainline in 1916. The rail line is now part of the BNSF Railway
. The depot symbolizes the importance of the railroad in Aitkin's growth and development.
The railroad line was initially built in 1871. By the early 1900s, Aitkin was emerging as the region's leading supply center, and the old wood-framed depot was considered grossly inadequate. The railway started construction of the new brick depot in 1915. It was built in the Mission Revival style with cut-stone trimmings and a German tile roof. Passenger traffic ended in the 1960s.
The building is now occupied by the Aitkin County Historical Society as the Depot Museum. Exhibits focus on the heritage of Aitkin County, including riverboating on the upper Mississippi, Native American culture and immigrant pioneers.
Aitkin, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,984 people, 892 households, and 434 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,150.3 people per square mile . There were 969 housing units at an average density of 561.8 per square mile...
is a brick passenger depot built on the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
mainline in 1916. The rail line is now part of the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
. The depot symbolizes the importance of the railroad in Aitkin's growth and development.
The railroad line was initially built in 1871. By the early 1900s, Aitkin was emerging as the region's leading supply center, and the old wood-framed depot was considered grossly inadequate. The railway started construction of the new brick depot in 1915. It was built in the Mission Revival style with cut-stone trimmings and a German tile roof. Passenger traffic ended in the 1960s.
The building is now occupied by the Aitkin County Historical Society as the Depot Museum. Exhibits focus on the heritage of Aitkin County, including riverboating on the upper Mississippi, Native American culture and immigrant pioneers.