The Railroad and Mendota

The Railroad and Mendota. . , Mendota occupies a strategic position in the transportation history of Minnesota. Located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, Mendota became a central meeting place for river boats traveling along these major waterways. With the coming of the railroads in the late 1850s, Mendota again became an important junction. The position of the town on the south bank of the Minnesota River, with St. Paul to the northeast and Minneapolis to the northwest, made Mendota a logical link for rail lines entering the Twin Cities., Two of the earliest railroads in the state, the Minnesota Central Railway and the Minnesota Valley Railroad, constructed lines through Mendota between 1857 and 1865. Later, the Minnesota Central connected with other railroads to Chicago and cities of the east. By 1870, the railroad had reached the South Dakota border, linking St. Paul with the growing cities of the west., This trail follows sections of both the Minnesota Central main line between Minneapolis and the Iowa border and a line connecting St. Paul and Mendota. The two railroads operated on this single track until 1888 when a second route, parallel to the earlier line, was constructed. This second route was built on a lower track bed and is now operated by the Union Pacific Railroad.