The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Station, also known as the Milwaukee Road Depot[3] is a railroad depot located at 219 West Fourth Avenue in Menominee, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982[1] and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1977.[2]

Menominee
Former Milwaukee Road passenger rail station
Menominee station in August 2011.
General information
Location219 West Fourth Avenue, Menominee, Michigan 49858
History
Opened1903
Closed1927
Services
Preceding station Milwaukee Road Following station
Marinette
towards Crivitz
Crivitz – Menominee Terminus
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Station
Menominee station is located in Michigan
Menominee station
Menominee station is located in the United States
Menominee station
Location219 West Fourth Ave., Menominee, Michigan
Coordinates45°6′3″N 87°36′9″W / 45.10083°N 87.60250°W / 45.10083; -87.60250
Area1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Built1903
ArchitectJ. U. Nettenstrom
NRHP reference No.82002852[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 22, 1982
Designated MSHSNovember 11, 1977[2]

History

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Menominee, Michigan census map showing 4 railroads in the 1st Ward

A rail service was originally extended to Menominee to serve the logging industry.[2] However, as the 19th century drew to a close, the logging in the area was slumping. To offset the decrease in business, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) turned to passenger service. In 1903 they constructed a new passenger depot in Menominee from a design by architect James U. Nettenstrom;[2] the design is substantially similar to the nearby depot at Marinette, Wisconsin, constructed at the same time.[4] The railroad ran three daily passenger trains between Menominee and Crivitz, Wisconsin from 1903 until 1914. From 1915 until 1927, the rail line offered both passenger and freight service, but the venture ultimately failed. The new station, first occupied on December 7, 1903[5] was used as a freight stop until 1938, after which it was shuttered.

The Wisconsin and Michigan Railroad continued their Menominee freight service to 1938 after which their portion of the 3 railroads in town was removed.[6]

In 1979, a private partnership, Depot Enterprises, purchased the building.[2] As of 2012, the building is for sale.[3]

Description

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The current Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Depot, built in 1903 is a single story frame structure clad with clapboards and vertical tongue and groove[3] siding and resting on a poured concrete foundation.[2] The main section of the depot is covered with a gabled roof, having wide overhanging eaves supported by metal brackets.[2] A covered waiting platform topped with a hip roof and lined with Doric columns is set at one end of the building.[2] The interior has approximately 2000 square feet of floor space, with an additional 500 square feet under the covered waiting platform.[3] The platform and tracks are currently below grade.[3]

The original depot here was built in 1885 was destroyed in a fire October 24, 1903[7] and was to be repurposed as the freight house.[8] This depot was located on 3rd Street. Measuring at 20' by 80' it had a hipped roof, wide overhanging eaves and a covered passenger waiting platform at the end of the station.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Station". Michigan State Housing Development Authority: Historic Sites Online. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Menominee Depot". Net Effect Studios. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  4. ^ "New St. Paul Depot Plans". Menominee Daily Herald. June 12, 1903.
  5. ^ Staff Writer (December 7, 1903). "Moved Into New St. Paul Depot Today". Daily leader. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  6. ^ City of Menominee Centennial Corporation. "The City of Menominee Michigan 1883-1983". Scribd. City of Menominee. p. 262. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "Menominee's Milwaukee Road Depot Destroyed By Fire" (PDF). THE DAILY EAGLE-STAR. October 24, 1903. p. 46. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  8. ^ Staff Writer (September 3, 1903). "Work on the new depot". Daily Leader. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  9. ^ Berry, Dale. "Station: Menominee, MI". www.michiganrailroads.com. michiganrailroads.com. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  10. ^ Staff Writer (September 24, 1903). "To Remodel Freight Depot". Daily Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
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