Baudette Depot
1923
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
The Depot Preservation Alliance
dedicates the renovation of the
Baudette Depot
constructed 1923 by the
Canadian National Railway;
To: Contractors: Anderson and Hammack (Superior, WI);
Architects: Collaborative Design Group (MPLS., MN);
Major Funders: MN Dept. of Transportation and MN Historical Society;
and Alliance members and volunteers.
October 21, 2011
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 1923.
Location. 48° 42.956′ N, 94° 36.013′ W. Marker is in Baudette, Minnesota, in Lake of the Woods County. It is at the intersection of Main Avenue and Tower Drive when traveling north on Main Avenue. The marker is mounted directly on the subject building, on the left side of the south/front entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 418 Tower Drive, Baudette MN 56623, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Minnesota’s Northland. It is also in the American Midwest 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 Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Theodore H. Rowell (approx. 0.2 miles away); Willie Walleye (approx. Ό mile away); Great Fire of 1910
this page online
Regarding Baudette Depot. National Register of Historic Places № 05000809.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Carmen Tschofen, 3/15/2005:
The Canadian National Railways Depot was built in 1923 in Baudette, a community on the border between the United States and Canada. The depot is nationally significant in the area of Politics and Government as the facility used by United States customs and immigration officers and the United States Border Patrol. The Canadian National Railways Depot, one of the rare depots in the United States served solely by a foreign railroad, was the last active depot on an unusual section of the Canadian National Railway that crossed into the United States, and it served as a symbol of international cooperation. Because of the importance ofmaintaining a federal presence at the international border, the depot's period of significance is 1923 to 1955.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 19, 20242. Baudette Depot (southwest/front entrance)The markers are mounted between the southwest/front door and adjacent windows.To the community of Baudette and the surrounding area, the depot is significant for the role the railroad's depot played in the settlement and economic development of this far northern portion of Minnesota by transporting mail, freight, passengers, lumber, fish and agricultural products.
The Canadian National Railways Depot in Baudette is unique due to a number of factors. While various railways owned by both Canadian and American interests served trans-border traffic, the construction of independent depots on foreign soil was limited and appears uncommon for the Canadian National Railways. Additionally, the housing of United States agencies within this foreign-owned structure appears to be largely unique in the United States.
The depot is a physical reminder of Baudette's growth and development, with the railway long providing a primary transportation route for settlers and residents. The depot's longevity, both in its service and its structure, sends a clear message about its importance to the town and its history.
Also see . . . The Baudette Depot (Explore Minnesota).
From the National Register Nomination: Today, the depot building is owned locally by the Depot Preservation Alliance, which purchased it from CN. The Alliance currently leases the land under and around the building for a yearly sum from CN. CN freight trains continue to cross the border almost hourly, running to the east and west past the town's grain elevators and along the tracks on the north side of the depot. The line is one of only four sections of track in the United States dispatched from outside of the United States.
Excerpt: The 1923 Baudette Depot was abandoned by the Canadian National Railways in the mid-1980's. The Depot sat empty and abandoned for over twenty years. It once served as an integral part of the entire transportation system of the areas, when all of the traffic into or out of the country came by river or rail!(Submitted on March 1, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
In 1997, the Depot Preservation Alliance (DPA) organized to preserve the Baudette Depot and adapt it for reuse. Listing on the National Register of Historic Places was accomplished in August 2005. From 1997 to 2007, a major capital renovation funding campaign was launched. Building renovation began in the Fall of 2010, with its completion in the Fall of 2011.
The first story of this side has several functional door and window openings with flat brick relieving arches and simple limestone sills. The westernmost opening accesses the freight room; the next window-door-window grouping mirrors the waiting room openings on the north side, with a cement slab serving as a threshold step on this side. A wider, horizontal window is set above the water table's top edge to provide privacy to restrooms. Moving eastward, a small window and door provide light and access to an interior entranceway and stairwell to the upper floor. The small window to the east of the door illuminates the basement stairwell. Windows on the eastern end of the building open to several divided spaces in the immigration and customs portion of the building; the height of the small windows centered on this end (and interior plumbing remnants) suggest additional restrooms.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 257 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on March 1, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
