Former Rock Island Passenger Train Depot in IA

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Station, Stuart Iowa

Date added: August 28, 2024

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This passenger station is the only structure remaining in Stuart to mark the community's 19th-century history as a division point on the Rock Island Railroad. In this role, with large shops, a roundhouse, and appurtenant structures, Stuart was a focal point of activity for one of Iowa's leading railroads, from the time the town was platted (1868-69) until the railroad moved its operations to Valley Junction (now West Des Moines) in 1897.

The Rock Island line reached this area in 1868, which was planned to serve as a division point from the start. The town was laid out by, and named for, Charles A. Stuart, "working closely with railroad officials" (excerpt from Stuart history, 1870-1970, reprinted in Stuart Herald, 16^th December 1976, p. 10). The passenger station was among the earliest railroad structures to be erected, with a roundhouse following in 1871 and large brick shops (replacing earlier wooden structures) in 1874. The town was immediately prosperous, with most residents earning their living, directly or indirectly, from the railroad. By 1893, Stuart's population was 2,500 and growing. The agricultural depression in the 1890s, however, produced a slump in the railroad's business (most of which in western Iowa was devoted to shipping corn, grain, and livestock). As the nation recovered, so did the railroad. The town of Stuart might have again prospered, too, but for the Rock Island's decision to move its facilities to Des Moines, more centrally located in the state and certainly more populous than Stuart.

The loss of the railroad shops resulted immediately in a loss of some 400 residents from the community, and the population of Stuart began a decline that continued well into the 20^th century. Stuart managed to reorient its economy toward agriculture, but was never to have the vitality present in the "railroad years". Of all the railroad structures once so proudly boasted by the community, only the passenger station remains, a "monument to the folly of trusting the prosperity of a town to a corporation." (Stuart Herald, 24^th September 1897).

Building Description

The Rock Island passenger station at Stuart was built 1868-69. It is located adjacent to the business district of Stuart, on the north side of the main line.

The building is a long, one-story side gable structure, with a heavy wood frame structural system on a limestone foundation, and exterior walls veneered with brick. All window and door openings have segmentally-arched heads, with brick hoods. Keystones, impost blocks and window sills are limestone.

The building is divided north-south into four rooms, reading from east to west as baggage room, men's waiting room, ticket office, and "ladies" waiting room. The ticket office is marked on the trackside elevation by the traditional projecting polygonal bay which permitted the clerk a clear view of the tracks in both directions.

The station was abandoned by the Rock Island in 1977, and has stood empty since that time, subject to repeated vandalism. It appears structurally sound, however, and there is local interest in obtaining it from the railroad and using it as a museum or other public facility.