Galion in Crawford County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Big Four Depot
Photographed by Alex Krempasky, April 18, 2023
1. Big Four Depot Marker
Inscription.
Big Four Depot. . This Depot, dedicated on December 27, 1900, served as division headquarters for the Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis railroad, commonly called the Big Four. Peak passenger usage occurred during and after World War I when 32 trains stopped here daily. Railway Express serviced as many as 20 trains a day into the 1950s, and Galion became a “whistle stop” for presidential campaigns with speeches from the train platform from such candidates as Al Smith in 1928, Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, and Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon in 1952. In 1929 the New York Central acquired the Big Four, which moved the division headquarters west to Bellefontaine in Logan County. The ticket office remained opened until 1964, but all railroad offices closed in 1969. The Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
This Depot, dedicated on December 27, 1900, served as division headquarters for the Cleveland, Chicago, Cincinnati, and St. Louis railroad, commonly called the Big Four. Peak passenger usage occurred during and after World War I when 32 trains stopped here daily. Railway Express serviced as many as 20 trains a day into the 1950s, and Galion became a “whistle stop” for presidential campaigns with speeches from the train platform from such candidates as Al Smith in 1928, Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, and Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon in 1952. In 1929 the New York Central acquired the Big Four, which moved the division headquarters west to Bellefontaine in Logan County. The ticket office remained opened until 1964, but all railroad offices closed in 1969. The Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Erected 2003 by Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, City of Galion, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 9-17.)
Location. 40° 44.053′ N, 82° 47.049′ W. Marker is in Galion, Ohio, in Crawford County. It is at the intersection of Washington Street and Harding Way East (Ohio Route 61), on the right when traveling north on Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Galion OH 44833, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Till Plains. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Another marker is no longer nearby. U.S.S. Constitution Cannon (was approx. 2.2 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 6, 2009
3. Big Four Depot and Marker
Looking northeast.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 6, 2009
4. Big Four Depot (west facade)
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., June 6, 2009
5. Big Four Depot (east facade - trackside)
Photographed by Paige Miller, November 19, 2022
6. Big Four Depot Marker
Big Four Depot painted in a lighter color
Credits. This page was last revised on May 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 29, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,113 times since then and 57 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on May 13, 2023, by Alex Krempasky of Obetz, Ohio. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 29, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 6. submitted on March 9, 2023, by Paige Miller of Getzville, New York. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
