Moose Lake station in

Moose Lake, Minnesota Moose Lake is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,789 at the 2020 census. Interstate 35, State Highways 27 and 73, County 10, and County 61 are the main routes in Moose Lake. Moose Lake State Park i ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, is a depot built in 1907 by the Soo Line Railroad. The building was one of the few buildings that survived the

1918 Cloquet Fire The Cloquet Fire ( ) was an immense forest fire in northern Minnesota, United States in October 1918, caused by sparks on the local railroads amid dry conditions. The fire left much of western Carlton County devastated, mostly affecting Moos ...

, and it was used to provide shelter for those left homeless in the fires. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 as the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Sault Ste. Marie Depot. The railroad first built a depot in this location in 1873. The 1918 Cloquet Fire started on October 12, 1918, with a background of a hot, dry summer, followed by a fall with little rain. The fire started on a windy day when a spark, possibly thrown from a passing train, ignited nearby brush. Much of the area, from Sturgeon Lake to Moose Lake, Cloquet, and close to

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, was devastated by the fire. It killed 453 people, and 52,000 homes were destroyed. The

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

housed the homeless in "fire shacks". The residents of Moose Lake decided to rebuild the community. Passenger train service to the Moose Lake station ended on May 16, 1959, when trains 64 and 65 were discontinued between

and

Thief River Falls Thief River Falls, sometimes abbreviated as TRF, is a city and county seat of Pennington County in the northwest portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 8,749 at the 2020 census. History Thief River Falls takes its name fro ...

. However,

mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In some countries, the term refers to a freight train carrying various different types of freight rather a single commodity. Although common in the ...

service between Glenwood and

Superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places * Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lak ...

through Moose Lake continued until at least 1962. The depot now serves as the Depot and Fires of 1918 Museum that tells the stories of the tragedy and the heroism brought out by the fire. The museum is operated by the Moose Lake Area Historical Society. The Soo Line tracks are now gone, replaced by a recreational trail, the Soo Line Trail.

References

External links

Moose Lake Area Historical Society
{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Carlton County, Minnesota Former Soo Line stations Museums in Carlton County, Minnesota History museums in Minnesota Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Railway stations in the United States opened in 1907 National Register of Historic Places in Carlton County, Minnesota Former railway stations in Minnesota 1907 establishments in Minnesota Transportation in Carlton County, Minnesota Natural disaster museums Firefighting in Minnesota Railway stations in the United States closed in 1959