Hill City Depot

Hill City Depot. The Hill City Depot was built in 1889 by the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad (B&M.R.) an early subsidiary of the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad (C.B &Q). This depot was originally two stories with living quarters for the station agent on the top floor. In the late 1960s, the Burlington Railroad removed the second story. Nevertheless, it is still the most original depot that exists on the line from Edgemont to Deadwood, South Dakota., Transportation in the 19th century was often limited to foot, horse and buggy, boat or train. The most miles an individual could travel in a day with a horse and wagon was about ten to fifteen miles with good conditions. But, unfortunately most roads were not good. They twisted around curves and up and over hills. They were often muddy and rutted, making it very hard for the horse to pull a wagon and travel was slow. That is why most people took the train when making longer trips. It was the fastest way to travel. By the early part of the 20th century, nearly every little town had a railroad depot. The depot is the location where people would go to purchase their train tickets. The depots also offered a way for people to communicate with other towns and cities by the telegraph., Caption , Lower Right: , Baggage Cart , These "baggage trucks" were used to haul baggage, express, and mail from the baggage room to the train. Baggage handlers pulled the heavy loads around the railroad stations by band., The wheels handles and braces were made of metal. In some cases, the wheels had hard rubber tires. The rest of the cart was made from various woods.