Rail & Industrial Center

Rail and Industrial Center. . Watertown was formed as the junction of two divisions of the Chicago and North Western Railroad. While construction of the Winona and St. Peter line reached the present location of Watertown in 1873, service did not start until 1879. Originally, Watertown was the rail terminus and prospered as a rail hub once the rail lines proceeded west. By 1893, five railroads radiated from Watertown in nine directions. The railroad center helped promote the growth of industrial services by providing access to easy distribution., Watertown's economy relied most heavily on agriculture, but the local resources and building industries, manufacturing, and wholesaling became very important beginning in the 1890s. South Dakota's only tannery was located in Watertown, as was the first mixed pains factory in the western United States., The W. H. Stokes Milling Company was built in 1882, destroyed by fire in 1901, and quickly rebuilt. An addition was built in 1907, doubling capacity and production of wheat to 1200 barrels a day. The business was discontinued in 1928 due to a lack of wheat. It now processes and sells livestock feed., 1. Stokes Brothers Rolling Mill had a capacity of 350 barrels a day. , 2. Great Northern Railway map showing the railroads and industrial district. , 3. Birdseye view of the Great Northern Depot and the American Freedom Train. , 4. Broadway looking north showing the Winslow-Griffin Grocery Company.