Douglas in Converse County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2022

1. Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot Marker

Inscription.
The National Register
of Historic Places
Wyoming Place No. 334

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Notable Buildings • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1886.

Location. 42° 45.538′ N, 105° 23.242′ W. Marker is in Douglas, Wyoming, in Converse County. Marker is on Brownfield Road (County Road 61) just south of West Center Street (Business Interstate 25), on the left when traveling south. Marker is mounted at eye-level, directly on the subject building, just to the left of the southwest entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 121 Brownfield Road, Douglas WY 82633, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Good Roads Club (here, next to this marker); Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center (a few steps from this marker); Fairmont Motor Car (a few steps from this marker); Union Pacific Railroad Baggage Car (a few steps from this marker); Chicago & Northwestern Railway (C&NW) Steel Sheathed Wooden Day Coach (a few steps from this marker); Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) Dining Car (a few steps from this marker); Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) 4-8-4 Steam Locomotive #5633

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) Wooden Caboose (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Douglas.

Regarding Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot.
National Register of Historic Places #94000741.

From the National Register Nomination:
The FE&MV passenger depot is a one-story wood structure topped by a shingled, gable roof that is supported by 6 ornamental brackets on each side. The structure features two brick chimneys and a 4-window bay that dominates the west facade. The main facade is symmetrical in a sense, having an identical door and a window on either side of the bay window. Altering the symmetry at the south end is a third larger door, which opens into an additional space apparently created for freight storage.
It is quite evident that the Douglas passenger depot was a modification of common plans used by the FE&MV and the C&NW during this period. Common plans permitted companies to order required materials in bulk and have them erected by previously experienced railroad workmen.

Also see . . . Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2022

2. Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot Marker

(marker is on left side of south entrance)

Also known as the Chicago and North Western Railway Passenger Depot and presently as the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center, it was built in 1886 in Douglas, Wyoming to accommodate traffic on the FE&MV terminus at the newly built town. The depot was built as a fairly small, cautious investment in a possibly ephemeral frontier town. Immediately following the completion of the depot Douglas saw an epidemic of typhoid fever and the worst winter in a generation, and the railroad decided to push on to Casper for its terminus. In 1905 oil development started. In the 1950s coal mining began and the railway expanded its Douglas facilities to accommodate the traffic, closing the original depot and building a larger facility. The depot was acquired from the railroad's successor, the Chicago and North Western Railway, by the city in 1990.

(Submitted on August 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Historic Downtown Douglas Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2022

3. Historic Downtown Douglas Marker

(mounted directly below historical marker)
FE & MV Railroad Passenger Depot
Constructed 1886
Historic Downtown Douglas

Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 30, 2022

4. Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot

Credits. This page was last revised on August 4, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 127 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 4, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.