Canal Park in Duluth in Saint Louis County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Endion Station
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 25, 2024
1. Endion Station Marker
Endion Station was originally located fifteen blocks to the east at 1500 South Street on the lakefront just below London Road. In June 1986, the building was moved here because it was in the path of Interstate Highway 35, then being extended into eastern Duluth.
The Duluth and Iron Range Railway built Endion Station in 1899 and it served as a passenger depot for 62 years. Its original cost: $10,000. Passengers would board the train to ride downtown for work, or for recreational trips up the North Shore and to Ely. When rail passenger travel was at its peak six trains arrived and departed daily from Endion and four offered cafι-parlor service. The last passenger train on the line arrived July 15, 1961. The building was used for freight handling until 1978 when it was closed.
The station was purchased in 1985 by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, which transferred ownership to the city. The 400-ton structure was moved in eight hours, faster than expected, a rare spectacle inching its way along London Road.
The station is of Romanesque design, largely constructed of Kettle River sandstone. The architects were Tenbusch and Hill, whose signatures mark many Duluth buildings of the era. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Although it no longer attends to the needs
this page online
Erected by Visit Duluth.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Notable Buildings • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1899.
Location. 46° 47.199′ N, 92° 5.677′ W. Marker is in Duluth, Minnesota, in Saint Louis County. It is in Canal Park. It can be reached from the intersection of Canal Park Drive and West Railroad Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is located along the Lake Walk Trail, about 50 meters east of the subject building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 218 Canal Park Drive, Duluth MN 55802, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region and in the Iron Range. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Man, Child & Gull (approx. 0.2 miles away); Duluth Legacy (approx. 0.2 miles away); Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lynching in America / Lynching in Duluth (approx. Ό mile away); USS Duluth LPD-6 (approx. Ό mile away); Spirit of Lake Superior (approx. 0.3 miles away);
Courtesy NEMHC, Duluth S3742B7F4
2. Marker detail: Duluth and Iron Range Railway locomotive No. 46 with train of logs.
Regarding Endion Station. National Register of Historic Places № 75002088.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Charles W. Nelson, Minnesota Historical Society, 3/12/1974:
The depot is a small building, measuring only seventy feet by twenty-four feet. The highest point at the central gable rises nearly thirty-seven feet above ground level. The foundation and stone trim are of locally quarried Kettle River sandstone of buff color which contrasts the pressed red brick body of the building. All coping and door and window surrounds are of Kettle River sandstone. Essentially the building forms a cruciform plan at the roof due to the intersection of gables although it is basically rectangular in floor plan. A central stone bay which houses the station master's office projects on the trackside of the building.
The building was constructed by David Hood and it was put into service at the turn of the century. The basic concept of projecting gables which crossed in a transept fashion had been used by other designersof the late nineteenth century but was developed by Hill into a highly aggressive and personal style which marked his major works in Duluth between 1901 and 1903. The design of the depot was the first of these major works in the development of Hill's mature architectural career.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 25, 20243. Endion Station MarkerLooking west along the Lake Walk Trail; Endion Station is in the background.
Also see . . . Endion Station (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 under the name Duluth Missabe and Iron Range Depot (Endion) for its local significance in the themes of architecture and transportation. It was nominated for its status as one of Duluth's few surviving small passenger depots and as a seminal work of local architect I. Vernon Hill.(Submitted on February 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
The Duluth and Iron Range Railroad (later the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway) began transporting passengers between Duluth and Two Harbors, Minnesota, in 1886. The railroad was an essential link between small communities on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The line's first stop outside of downtown Duluth was at Endion. Endion was originally an independent town north of Duluth, but by the end of the nineteenth century it had been absorbed by the growing city. By the 1970s, the small depot was the last of its kind in Duluth. The depot was also architecturally significant. The buildingis designed with projecting gables that form a transept. Its architect, I. Vernon Hill, went on to have a distinctive impact on the architecture of Duluth in the early 20th century, using the projecting gables as a trademark. The depot's beauty, lakeside location, and link to the railroad history of Duluth made its preservation a priority.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 25, 20244. Endion Station (east elevation)After its closure in 1978 the building was vacant. Duluth architect Edward Schafer purchased, restored, and renovated the depot for use as an office in 1980. In 1986 the building was threatened by the planned expansion of Interstate 35. However, since the building was important as a piece of architecture and a part of Duluth's railroad history, the building was saved. State and local officials decided to move the depot. In June 1986 the depot was removed from its original foundation and moved to a new home in Duluth's Canal Park at a cost of nearly $400,000 (equivalent to $1,111,840 in 2023). After its move, the depot hosted a variety of commercial and municipal programs. The city of Duluth sold the depot in 2012. In July 2014 the Endion Station Public House opened in the building, but it has closed as of March 2019. In November 2019, Rod Raymond, owner of Fitger's Brewhouse, remodeled the building into a five-bedroom hotel.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 25, 2024
5. Endion Station (north elevation)
This faηade originally faced the railroad tracks.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 25, 2024
6. Endion Station (northwest elevation)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 25, 2024
7. Endion Station (southwest elevation)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 228 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on February 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
