Fulda in Murray County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Fulda Depot
Photographed by Ruth VanSteenwyk, May 24, 2016
1. Fulda Depot Marker
Inscription.
Fulda Depot. . Fulda's depot, the only surviving Eastlake - style two-story depot in southwestern Minnesota, was built in 1880 just to the southeast of the present location, on a platform between two sets of tracks. Boarding the train and loading freight was therefore an easy task. The Stationmaster and his family lived upstairs. In 1901 it was moved to its current site.
Fulda's first train, coming east from Jackson through Kinbrae arrived on September 7, 1879, on track laid by the Southern Minnesota Railroad Company (later known as the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad Company, or the Milwaukee Road, after that the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company). By 1881, tracks ran west through Iona Lake, Chandler, Edgerton, and Pipestone to Flandreau, South Dakota. Fulda was the division point for the Railroad, and had a roundhouse, turntable (built in 1880, re-build 1899), water tank, stockyards and coal bins. By 1901 the roundhouse was shut down when the division point was moved westward.
In 1895, four passenger and four freight trains passed through Fulda daily, with sometimes as many as four extras. Three hotels served travelers at Fulda, and later furnished box lunches when lunch breaks were no longer scheduled. The railroad hauled gravel, livestock, lumber, coal and goods for Fulda's growing retail trade. Some cars served as "exhibit cars" for traveling salesmen --visiting their wares was even an assignment for school children-- and local hotels furnished "sample rooms" to these men.
By the 1920s, growing popularity of automobiles and trucks decreased train use. Passenger service to Fulda ceased in 1963. Mail, grain and livestock freight also declined -- eventually to nothing -- after world war two. In September 1979, the last freight train came, almost 100 years to the day from the first train's arrival at Fulda. In 1980, the tracks were removed.
This marker is dedicated to the Memory of those who built, protected, preserved, and cherished this community..
Fulda's depot, the only surviving Eastlake - style two-story depot in southwestern Minnesota, was built in 1880 just to the southeast of the present location, on a platform between two sets of tracks. Boarding the train and loading freight was therefore an easy task. The Stationmaster and his family lived upstairs. In 1901 it was moved to its current site.
Fulda's first train, coming east from Jackson through Kinbrae arrived on September 7, 1879, on track laid by the Southern Minnesota Railroad Company (later known as the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, or the Milwaukee Road, after that the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company). By 1881, tracks ran west through Iona Lake, Chandler, Edgerton, and Pipestone to Flandreau, South Dakota. Fulda was the division point for the Railroad, and had a roundhouse, turntable (built in 1880, re-build 1899), water tank, stockyards and coal bins. By 1901 the roundhouse was shut down when the division point was moved westward.
In 1895, four passenger and four freight trains passed through Fulda daily, with sometimes as many as four extras. Three hotels served travelers at Fulda, and later furnished box lunches when lunch breaks were no longer scheduled. The railroad hauled gravel, livestock, lumber, coal and goods for Fulda's growing retail trade. Some cars
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served as "exhibit cars" for traveling salesmen --visiting their wares was even an assignment for school children-- and local hotels furnished "sample rooms" to these men.
By the 1920s, growing popularity of automobiles and trucks decreased train use. Passenger service to Fulda ceased in 1963. Mail, grain and livestock freight also declined -- eventually to nothing -- after WWII. In September 1979, the last freight train came, almost 100 years to the day from the first train's arrival at Fulda. In 1980, the tracks were removed.
This marker is dedicated to the Memory of those who built, protected, preserved, and cherished this community.
Location. 43° 52.176′ N, 95° 36.043′ W. Marker is in Fulda, Minnesota, in Murray County. It is at the intersection of East Front Street and South St. Paul Avenue on East Front Street. Marker is located in the parking lot of the depot museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fulda MN 56131, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Minnesota. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, and on the Great Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within
Credits. This page was last revised on February 13, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 5, 2017, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. This page has been viewed 1,379 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 5, 2017, by Ruth VanSteenwyk of Aberdeen, South Dakota. 3. submitted on February 7, 2020, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
