Winona and St. Peter Railroad

Winona and St. Peter Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersWinona, Minnesota
LocaleMidwestern United States
Dates of operation1861 (1861)–1867 (1867)
SuccessorChicago and North Western Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length319 miles
Route map

Legend
MP
0.0
 Winona
(
Front and
Washington Depot
)
6.0
 Minnesota City
11.3
 Stockton
18.4
 Lewiston
22.7
 Utica
28.3
 St. Charles
32.2
 Dover
36.9
 Eyota
42.7
 Haverhill (Chester)
49.2
 Rochester
58.7
 Byron
64.2
 Kasson
68.3
 Dodge Center
76.4
 Claremont
87.6
Central Minnesota Railway
Central Minnesota Railway
88.1
 Owatonna
96.3
 Meriden
102.5
 Waseca
136.0
 St. Peter
165.5
 New Ulm
226.5
 Tracy
Dakota Central Railroad
Minnesota
South Dakota
279.0
 Gary
319.0
 Watertown
This diagram:

The Winona and St. Peter Railroad was a railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was founded in 1861 in Winona, Minnesota. The first 11 miles (18 km) from Winona to Stockton, Minnesota, were completed by the end of 1862, making the it the second operational railroad in Minnesota, after the St. Paul and Pacific Line from Saint Paul to St. Anthony Falls.[1][2]

Five years later its track reached Owatonna, Minnesota, connecting with the main line of the Minnesota Central Railroad, predecessor of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway line between Saint Paul and Austin, Minnesota. In 1885 the railroad was involved in the Supreme Court case Winona & St. Peter Railroad Co. v. Barney.[3] The language of the land grant extensions needed to be clarified as to where the two railroad land grants interfered.

The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company (CN&W) purchased the controlling interest in the Winona and St. Peter in 1867.[1] The line would reach Watertown, South Dakota, with the financial backing of the CN&W.[4] In 1900 it became the Minnesota Division of the C&NW.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Pratt, Daniel R.; Schmidt, Andrew J.; Vermeer, Andrea C.; Bradley, Betsy H. (August 2002). "Railroads in Minnesota, 1862-1956 MPS" (PDF). St. Paul, MN: United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
  2. ^ Pratt, Daniel R.; Schmidt, Andrew J.; Vermeer, Andrea C.; Bradley, Betsy H. "Section E. Statement of Historic Contexts - I. Railroad Development in Minnesota, 1862-1956" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation.
  3. ^ "Winona & St. Peter R. Co. v. Barney 113 U.S. 618 (1885)". US Supreme Court. Justia. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  4. ^ Hasselstrom, Linda M. (1994). Roadside History of South Dakota. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87842-262-5 – via Archive.org.