Date in History: 1906
In 1906 the Chicago-Northwestern Railroad built a handsome new depot in Fort Atkinson. This stately red brick building with stone trimming was located along the track near the intersection of Janesville Avenue and South Third Street. The depot was an impressive structure for the time, equipped with electric lights and bathrooms, including a spacious ladies restroom with its own separate waiting room. All the interior rooms – the main waiting room, the bathrooms, the ticket and telegraph offices – were finished in oak with tile flooring.
At the time of its construction in 1906 as many as 16 passenger and freight trains arrived in Fort each day. Passenger service winked out in 1950, though freight continued for a while longer and still runs on the northside of town. The lovely little train depot was demolished in 1973.
This historic document aired on the radio as an Historic Minute on 03/22/2004.