A One-way ticket......

October 13,2014

"The last train departs without ceremony", local headlines lamented in August of 1980.  It was just over a hundred year run but train tracks in town carried the last of their burden on August 7,1980.  

Little remains to indicate that the rails once ran through town.  But there are subtle remnants left of the town's railroad days.  If you look closely you might detect the track right of way that crossed Slayton's main street spanning from the southeast corner to northwest section of town. And the southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership building, fashioned much the same  sits in the spot where the depot once stood.

It was in 1879 that the railroads came to Murray County.  In the spring of 1879 arrangements were completed for the Southern Minnesota Railroad Company to extend their line west through this county.  About the same time the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad planned a branch line northwest from Heron Lake.  Stations were started at Fulda and Iona on the Southern Minnesota railroad and at Avoca and Hadley on the St. Paul and Sioux City railroad branch from Heron Lake.

Both these lines were competing for a land grant, the first line having a train reach Pipestone was to receive the grant.

It was told by one man who worked on the Southern Minnesota line that both lines ran out of rails before reading Pipestone, but the Southern Minnesota line ran their train as far as the rails were laid and then tore up the rails behind the train and re-laid them  in front, thus proceeding until they reached Pipestone and receiving the land grant.  But it took some time to lay the other rails so they could make a return trip.

It was in April of 1880 that the papers recorded that "a full passenger train consisting of coach, baggage car, etc. now runs west of this section (Fulda)."  

The St. Paul and Sioux City railroad branch from Heron Lake through Avoca and Hadley stopped at W oodstock and was called the "Black Hills Branch".  The St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad Company later changed their name to Chicago, St. Paul, Milwaukee and Omaha Railroad.

The right-of-way for the extension of the Woodstock branch to Pipestone was secured by private subscription for $1500 in the spring of 1884 and the track completed on July 19,1884.

Slayton's rail service started in 1881 in Center Township.  It was noted in the Southwest Minnesotian, published in Currie on September 7, 1881, that the railroad company had surveyed 100 acres into town lots. For a few weeks the town was called Winterton, but the residents thought that name was rather "suggestive to strangers", so soon it was changed to Slayton.  

Until about 1930 there were two passenger trains and two freight trains daily. Until Slayton grew and churches were built, the waiting room of the depot was used to hold church services. Some of the former section crew were Albert Erickson, Steve Thruinger, Joe Thuringer, William Beers, Lyle Larson, Henry Larson, Jonie Thompson and Albert Millis.

Some of the former station agents included A.W. Beek, Jack Johnson, Lloyd Slaybaugh and Harvey Butterfield.  Butterfield was the last agent when the dept closed June 12, 1972. The last train left Slayton on August 7, 1980, witih crew members onboard including conductor R.J. Sizer, Engineer E.L. Goor, Head Brakeman T.J. Schmillen, Rear Brakeman D.L. Schlomann.