REBUILDING A RAILROAD DEPOT
Almost Lost to Time
Nothing was more up-to-date when it was built, or is more obsolete today, than the railroad station. -Ada Louise Huxtable
A century ago, our humble railroad depot was the vital link to our town’s very existence. It was the hub of commerce, the gathering place where news came and went, the link to opportunity and new frontiers, the touchstone of timeless sights and events. It smelled of tobacco, newsprint, coal smoke and perfumes. The telegraphs whirred, trains hurried into the night and tears fell as soldiers came home on a last ride. The Portage depot is a simple wood structure full of forgotten memories and history. After the era of the railroads came and left, the depots along the Soo Line’s Portage Branch faced the match and bulldozer, one-by-one over the decades, save for the sole survivor - the Portage Depot.
The 1897 Depot
Built in 1897 to the railroad’s combination one-story standard plan, this iconic style of depot architecture could be found all across the State of Wisconsin on the Soo Line Railroad. For a period of almost 40 years, the Portage depot served the railroad. By the time of the line’s abandonment, the structure faced an uncertain future. After World War II, the building found a string of new owners, serving a new purposes from an oil company office to an animal shelter.
Endangered
Built on soft ground, within earshot of the historic Portage canal and marshlands, the structure was literally sinking into the ground. One failed preservation effort in the late 1990s left the depot’s future bleak. Local preservationists took efforts to board up windows and save priceless artifacts. With a nearby business expansion looming and no feasible way to move the depot, it’s demise was imminent.
Ahead of the Torch
With a tight deadline, volunteers sprung into action and dismantled the old building, board-by-board, salvaging 90% of the interior wainscoting and all of the diminutive architectural components. Detailed measurements were taken for the day that it could be rebuilt.
Rebirth: Our Vision
In 2017, Railway Research was formed. Our mission is to preserve and digitize historic railroad imagery for use by authors, historians, and museums. With the aid of friends and family, our goal is to rebuild the Portage Depot with a dual purpose. The freight room will host our railroad archives and research library in a modern climate controlled facility. The passenger waiting room and ticket office will be restored to their original appearances, to display and interpret the 19th century railroad depot, complete with artifacts and historic exhibits. The spacious facility will be open to the public for tours, historic presentations and educational use by youth groups. Currently, blueprints are drawn, a location has been secured and artifacts are being gathered. Full steam ahead!
