Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center

Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center. . The Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center is located on the site of the historic Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Depot. The Interpretive Center was developed by the City of Douglas and dedicated in August 1995 as a legacy to the major industries which molded and shaped the Douglas community with the railroad industry at the center. , Following the end of Indian hostilities in the late 1870's, the grasslands of what is now Converse County became home to hundreds of thousands of Texas Longhorns. In the early 1880's the open-range cattle industry flourished, promising great profits to stockmen and buyers, if herds could be marketed in the east. The keys were the railroads, which had been laying track at an increasingly rapid rate following the conclusion of the Civil War. , In 1885, the United States Congress granted the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad the right to cross the Fort Robinson Military Reservation in Nebraska. On August 26, 1886, the railroad reached what was to be known as the new town of Douglas. , The Depot was built in 1886 and was open continuously until the 1950's, when the Chicago and Northwester Railroad (FE&MV's successor), closed the doors to the passenger depot. The C&NW Depot was then used for freight storage and company use until the mid 1970's. The C&NW abandoned its tracks and facilities and the City acquired title to the property in 1991. , The Interpretive Center site includes the Depot structure, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as a seven car train display donated to the City by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture in 1993. This comprehensive collection of railroad equipment makes up an outdoor museum of railroad history.