Soo Line Railroad at Manfred

Soo Line Railroad at Manfred. An Authentic Settlers' Community Celebrating Rural America. , The location for the town of Manfred was determined by the Soo Line Railroad. Train engines powered by steam required a water stop every 7 to 10 miles, and railroad surveyors determined that this site along the James River would make an ideal water stop. In 1893 the railroad built a dam downstream just east of Manfred, thereby creating Manfred Lake. The lake helped maintain a stable water level for the site. , Each water stop needed windmills, a water tank, a pump house, and a dwelling for the station master whose job it was to oversee the equipment at the water stop. The Manfred water stop had two windmills, one by the river and one beside the railroad track. The windmill by the river pumped water through a 20-foot-deep underground 4-inch pipe. The windmill beside the track then pumped the water into a nearby tank for ready use. , The Soo Line Railroad bed was built through Manfred Township in 1893. While the workers were building at this site, some of them decided to file land claims. In the spring of 1894, these homesteaders, together with other homesteaders, streamed into the Manfred area with their families. With this, the community of Manfred burst into existence. The railroad became a significant link to the outside world for the Manfred community as the best way to travel, to ship farm products, to receive mail, and for businesses to receive goods. A depot was built at Manfred with living quarters in the second level for the depot agent and his family. The year 1953 brought a big change to Manfred, when the use of steam engines came to an end. After that, the Soo Line Railroad dismantled the windmills and water tank structures; and with Manfred no longer a train stop, the depot was moved. The only structure that remains today is the dam.