Abandoned train station in Wisconsin


Soo Line Depot - Union Depot, Ashland Wisconsin
Date added: June 28, 2023 Categories: Wisconsin Train Station
Looking southeast at front and side elevations (1987)

The expansion of rail service into the northern reaches of Wisconsin during the late 19th and early 20th century brought with it expanded avenues for commercial and industrial development and opened up whole new areas of the state to settlement and economic growth. The Wisconsin Central and Soo Line (Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste Marie) railroads, which emerged as dominant rail carriers during this period, are specifically credited for their contributions to regional commercial and transportation development. These rail lines were dominant forces in the northern region of the state and primarily focused on maintaining lumber, pulpwood and mineral lines serving northern Wisconsin and the paper mills of the lower Fox River Valley. (The Soo Line would assume control of all Wisconsin Central holdings around circa 1910, including the Ashland Union Depot.)

Railroad facilities such as depots and repair yards did much more than simply serve as stopping points for local service. They quickly became focal points of commercial or industrial activity, and in many cases spurred on the growth of whole commercial centers or industrial corridors. With the arrival of the rail depot came the necessity for railroad hotels to serve visiting businessmen, travelers and salesmen, and the desire of local tradesmen to locate as near as possible to the depot terminus in order to capture the attention of potential consumers as quickly as possible.

There is probably no other building (Soo Line Depot) surviving in northern Wisconsin that "so beautifully represents the importance of the railroad in the establishment of large commercial cities in this region" (Steve Sennott). In 1877 the Wisconsin Central Railroad linked Ashland to Milwaukee and the rest of the world and the resulting capacity for trans-shipping (water and rail) of imports and exports converted Ashland from a minor harbor town of 700 in 1880 to a substantial metropolis of 12,000 in 1891. According to the Ashland Daily News 8/25/1889: "This morning the superb and imposing structure known as Union Depot will be thrown open to the public, the event marks the beginning of an era of prosperity for Ashland (which) will be jointly occupied by the Northern Pacific and Wisconsin Central." The location of this depot established the downtown commercial district of Ashland at the heart of the city, where prior to its construction there had existed two commercial districts a mile and a half apart.

The depot facilitated both freight and passenger service for the Northern Pacific, Milwaukee Lakeshore and Western, and the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha railroads in addition to the Wisconsin Central and later Soo Lines. The shipment of minerals and lumber sparked the economy and development of Ashland and northern Wisconsin alike; the railroad promoted tourism by building the elegant Chequamegon Hotel for passenger customers (the hotel located 2 blocks from the depot has been demolished). 15,000 tourists visited Ashland in 1887, thereby increasing awareness and subsequent investment in the area by visitors and businessmen alike.

The existence and development of Ashland's commercial district was in no small part the direct result of the location and activity of the Union Depot at Third Avenue. The Depot is sited with a commanding view of the downtown; and from US Highway 2 the Depot is one of the most visible structures and serves as a visual anchor to the downtown thanks to its location astride the otherwise unchallenged rectangular grid. Aside from its location, this structure was also one of the first "permanent compositions" constructed in the early boom-town days of Ashland. The impact on the evolution and economic success of Ashland by the railroad is undeniable; the structure embodies, through its massing and siting, the dominate role of the railroad in the history of the area and its development.

Building Description

The Soo Line Depot is located two blocks southeast of the commercial business district in downtown Ashland. The depot is separated from the commercial district by parking lots located at the rear of the commercial buildings on second street. The surrounding buildings are mainly one and two-story utilitarian structures. Ashland is located on the edge of Lake Superior and at the turn of the century was a prosperous shipping harbor and railroad terminus. The population in 1891 numbered 12,000; the present population of the community is approximately 9,000.

The substantial, two-story brownstone, Soo Line Depot is designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The entire building is constructed of native (Chequamegon Bay & Apostle Islands), random rock-faced brownstone. It is built on a rectangular plan parallel with the adjacent railroad tracks. Loading docks were located on the southeast and southwest facades.

An 1889 edition of the Ashland Daily News stated that the structure was built at a cost of $50,000.00 and had a platform 400 feet in length (demolished). There were two waiting rooms and on the western side of the main lobby, a generous dining room, supplemented by a large dining room "where white aproned fraternity dispense hospitality with smiles." The primary facade faces to the northwest on the axis of Third Avenue West with a commanding vista through the heart of the commercial district and full visibility from U.S. Highway 2 and Chequamegon Bay. This facade is fully symmetrical and marked by a central tower with a pyramidal roof pierced by louvered dormers and focused by a porte-cochere. Below the tower's roofline are a triplet of round-arched windows with prominent stone voussoirs set above three rectangular second-floor windows. To each side of the tower enfolds the large hipped roof core of the main depot. Three broad arches with stone voussoirs extend arcade-like in each direction from the three-story pyramidal-roofed tower on the ground floor level. On the second floor, above each arched window, are large rectangular window openings with triplet sets of 1/1 sash windows.

A further extension of the building's mass is established by the one-story pavilions with sloping roofs and pierced dormers that extend from the larger hipped sections in each direction. The east and west facades of these extensions (the former delivery and baggage entrances) each have a pair of arched entries and two small arched 1/1 sash windows above. One rusticated brownstone chimney exists at the junction of the main roof and the secondary gable; reinforcing iron strap bands surround it. The south facade of the depot shows evidence of an existing entry canopy below the station master's observation window; this structure was removed in prior decades. The south facade mirrors the north-facing one with the exception that ground-level entries on the south are arched rather than rectangular in the pavilion extensions. Scroll cornice brackets and dentils at the eaves are the only wood composition decorative feature. Roof finials remain intact. Original drawings indicate the original roofing material as cedar shingle and the presence of copper cresting; these features were removed over 50 years ago. The building has been recently re-roofed with "weather-wood" colored asphalt shingles. Substantial deterioration of window casings and sash exists.

Blueprint documentation from the Soo Line railroad shows substantial interior alterations to the building in 1904, 1926, 1947, and 1954. These alterations were primarily mechanical and plumbing related on the lower level and ground floor for the purpose of converting waiting rooms to gang showers and dormitories for railroad employees and consolidating office space. The original floor plan is unclear. On the ground floor, the ticket window appears to have changed location several times. The signed "TICKETS" glass is the only remaining piece of true railroad memorabilia remaining in the interior. The second floor of the interior space was never completed; stud walls remain exposed except in the vicinity of the central tower and a portion of the larger main section, which functioned as the living quarters for the station master.

Upon termination of passenger service, the south-facing facade became virtually inaccessible to pedestrians. A chainlink fence and freight pulp cars obstruct any substantial view of this elevation. To the west of the depot, a pole-barn construction, Hockey-Civic Center was built in 1985. Located less than fifty feet from the depot, this building obstructs the view of the depot from the west.

Soo Line Depot - Union Depot, Ashland Wisconsin Looking southeast at front and side elevations (1987)
Looking southeast at front and side elevations (1987)

Soo Line Depot - Union Depot, Ashland Wisconsin Looking South at main front (North) elevation (1987)
Looking South at main front (North) elevation (1987)

Soo Line Depot - Union Depot, Ashland Wisconsin Looking west of east (side) elevation and rear platform area (1987)
Looking west of east (side) elevation and rear platform area (1987)

Soo Line Depot - Union Depot, Ashland Wisconsin Looking south of main entry (1987)
Looking south of main entry (1987)