First train arrived in Elroy 150 years ago

Contributed by the Elroy Museum

On Aug. 5, 1872, the first train arrived in Elroy. To celebrate this historic event in Elroy’s history, the Elroy Museum will feature a number of displays from the early days of the railroad. Come visit the Elroy Museum on Elroy’s Main Street any Saturday or Sunday from 1–4 p.m. throughout the summer until Labor Day.

This staged photo of the roundhouse was taken about 1900 and was used on post cards and billboards promoting Elroy. 

The sleepy community of Elroy was a slow-growing farming town when progress hit them with a big bang; the railroad was coming to town! Rumors of the railroad coming to Elroy had been around for four or five years when in 1869 the railroad line was agreed upon, placing Elroy at the center of the line between Chicago and Minneapolis. 

The railroad history of Elroy started when the Chicago and Northwestern Railway (C&NW) reached Elroy from Reedsburg on Aug. 5, 1872, the West Wisconsin Railway reached Elroy from the north in December 1872, and the Winona and St. Peter Railway was built from the west, and by Jan. 5, 1873, through service from Chicago to St. Paul had been established. Elroy was growing in leaps and bounds. By 1872, the population doubled to 300, most of whom were in some way associated with the railroad. Many of these laborers were Irish, and many of them stayed in the Elroy area after the railroad was built. By 1874, the population was 600, and a real boom town was born. In 1905, the population peaked at 2,011, making it the largest city in Juneau County.

Picture Elroy in 1885 with the following stores:

The depot was built in 1872–73. The lower level of the depot
contained the ticket office and the “Beanery” restaurant. Upstairs provided sleeping quarters for the railroad crews.

• Seven saloons

• Eight general stores

• One fancy-goods store

• Four hotels

• One barbershop

• One livery stable

• Two blacksmith shops

• One farm machinery shop 

• One furniture store/undertaker

• Two meat markets

• One warehouse

• One doctor, one dentist, one lawyer

• Two shoemakers

• Six churches

• Two milliners

• Five dressmakers

• One painter

• One laundry

• One opera house

• One grist mill

Elroy remained a busy railroad hub for 80 years, often a political stop for Presidents (Hoover, Truman, Nixon), but after World War II rail, traffic declined due to other rail lines being built and the interstate system taking much of the shipping of commerce.

The Omaha Railroad roundhouse in Elroy had stalls for 22 engines.
The round house and machine shop serviced trains from Chicago to Minneapolis for over 75 years. Note the 12 sets of tracks that allowed switching of trains. Up to 30 trains a day passed through Elroy during the peak years.

On July 23, 1963, the C&NW discontinued its passenger service through Elroy. The rail line west of Elroy to Sparta was abandoned in 1964, and freight continued to decline through Elroy in the 1970s and 1980s. Finally, on March 24, 1987, the last freight train was unloaded in Elroy, and on the following day, the train left Elroy with the empty cars as the church bells tolled the 6 p.m. hour, thus ending 115 years of railroading in Elroy.

To remind us of the many years of railroading in Elroy, the Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail was built in 1967, the 400 Bike Trail from Reedsburg to Elroy opened in the 1990s, and the Omaha Trail from Camp Douglas to Elroy was opened in 1992. These trails were built on the old rail lines connecting these communities. The Elroy Depot constructed in 1872–73 still stands and today serves as the Elroy Area Fire Department building.

Comments are closed.

  • Easter egg hunts slated for Saturday

    March 25th, 2024
    by

    Local communities will host Easter egg hunts on Saturday.


    Highway 33 reconstruction from Ontario to Hillsboro slated to begin March 27

    March 19th, 2024
    by

    Gov. Tony Evers recently signed a $5.7 million contract to resurface Highway 33 between the Kickapoo River bridge in Ontario and the Hillsboro city limits in Vernon County. 


    Names released in fatal UTV crash

    March 18th, 2024
    by

    The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has released more information related to the UTV crash that occurred early Sunday morning, March 17, that left a local woman dead and a man injured.   


    One dead in UTV accident in town of Wells

    March 17th, 2024
    by

    A woman is dead and one man injured after a utility terrain vehicle rolled over early Sunday morning in rural Sparta. 


    Burn ban issued for Vernon County

    March 17th, 2024
    by

    Effective immediately, Vernon County Emergency Management and the Vernon County Fire Chiefs Association has issued a burn ban until further notice.


  • Window damaged at Norwalk Village Office

    March 8th, 2024
    by

    In an apparent act of vandalism, a rock resulted in a broken window at the Norwalk Village Office sometime between […]


    N-O-W construction project: A bird’s-eye view

    March 2nd, 2024
    by

    Construction at Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School Schools has resulted in a different landscape.


    Brookwood to present ‘Harry Potter’ parody

    February 26th, 2024
    by

    The Brookwood theatre program will present “Sally Cotter and the Censored Stone” on Saturday, March 2, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 3, at 2 p.m. 


    Combating tooth decay among children

    February 26th, 2024
    by

    During Children’s Dental Health Month, Scenic Bluffs raises awareness on the importance of dental sealants


    Vernon County reports shots fired in rural Ontario

    February 26th, 2024
    by

    UPDATE FROM THE VERNON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE “** UPDATE (1:15 PM): The situation is under control. A male, age 42, […]


    Royall concert slated for Monday

    February 21st, 2024
    by

    The Royall High School Music Department will present a Concert Festival Showcase Concert on Monday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. 


  • Archives