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Depot history 1909 - 1919 , 1920 - 1975, 1976 - 2001, 2001 - Present, Miscellaneous Photos
Depot History
by Mike Reilly, 4/28/03, updated 05/25/2005
The Depot history continues with various photos taken over the years:
Gondola dumping - a long line of side-dumping railroad cars put dirt and gravel along the wood pole trestle of the newly built Northwestern Railroad tracks, making a hill stretching for two (three?) miles, from Waukesha Ave. to Lannon Rd. The roadway in the immediate foreground is the future Hwy 74, just east (west?) of Town Line Rd. The vacant land behind is the present day site of the Willow Spring Mobile Home Court. Fred H. Keller, Sussex Sun, Apr. 25, 1995, p. 20. |
Massive amounts of concrete were used for the bridge abutments and the culverts. This Mclaughlin photo shows culvert construction just east of the intersection of Hwy 74 and Town Line Rd. The culvert was to drain the headwaters of the Fox River, coming from William Lannon's farm. Today this set of springs is called Willow Springs. Source: same as to left.
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These 1910 photos were found c. 1995 by Ed and Dorothy McLaughlin, Sussex's Main St. and Hwy 74 are on the exact mile section of Mile Rd., the location of Lunowa's (1995) Whiskey Corners tavern. If you drew a straight line east from Sussex's Main Street, it would go under the existing Northwestern railroad line. Today (1995), however, the road east of Sussex Plaza bends south, breaking the former connection with Mill Rd. The Two photos above show how the high hill railroad embankment was made. The raised track goes from west of Waukesha Ave. to well beyond Lannon rd., a distance of over three miles. To get this embankment in place, the original railroad track was built on a high trestle of wood poles. The railroad gondolas were drawn over the trestle dumping dirt and gravel in place. Slowly, millions of cubic yards of soil was accululated to fill in between the wood braces to form the hill that bears the tracks today. Fred H. Keller, Sussex Sun, Apr. 25, 1995, p. 20.
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Two friends(? - see note below) out for a walk; Retta Stone (left) and Marjorie Kimble at the Northwestern depot c. 1919. Photo taken by Lela Vaughn, a Sussex school teacher. Photo printed Sussex Sun Oct. 10, 1978, Fred Keller collection and the following notes." Miss Stone became Mrs. Ralph Larson of Pewaukee, and Miss Kimble, Mrs. Orville Booth of Pine River, Wis. Miss Vaughn married a Sussex butcher, Claude Kaderabek. After her husband's death in 1948, she returned to teaching in Sussex schools; she died in 1970." [Author's note: there is some discrepancy here about Retta's heritage here; it's believed that the Retta pictured above was actually Retta E. Small. The woman pictured next to her is more likely her mother, Ida J. Small, at the time of this picture about 57 yrs old. Marjorie E. Kimball was abt 22 yrs old at the time of this picture (b. Oct 24, 1897). Lela (sometimes printed Leila) Vaughn boarded with Ida and Retta according to the 1920 Federal Census; Retta was then 17 yrs old. Confusion comes in because there was a Retta Stone as well, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Will (William) Stone. Miss Stone married Ben White on Dec 19, 1931 (Source: Waukesha Freeman Dec 24, 1931). Retta Small did indeed marry Ralph Larson. Marjorie Kimble was spelled Kimball.] Lingelbach's Hill is behind water tower looking east from depot; today which is present day Mapleway Park and Sussex Heights subdivision. After the depot was moved in 1978, all that was left of the old water tower and pumping station were cracked concrete foundations; today, even those are gone. |
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Both photos by Roy Stier in the late 1920's of a CNW train wreck behind the Mexican Village. Mickey Clarey said, " I went up to look at it. There were 27 to 30 cars off the track, all loaded with grain and flour. Everything was spilled all over." |
Note: the Mexican Village was about 1/4 mile east of the intersection of Soo Line and Northwestern RR on south side of track. It was where the Mammoth Spring Canning Co. lodged their transient help. |
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Another 1920 photo of wreck
Depot history 1909
- 1919 , 1920 - 1975,
1976 - 2001, 2001
- Present, Miscellaneous Photos
SLAHS Grand-Opening Dedication
The SLAHS Depot Museum Grand-Opening Dedication was Sunday, September 12.
The Depot Museum will be open every 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month from 1 to 4 PM.