Railroad History & Activities
TWO TRAINS & A MILL - A 100th Anniversary Celebration

 

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1905 was the first year that TWO competeting railroads served Westby.  The Cargill family felt the existing Milwaukee Railroad (tracks ran on east side of the mill) did not provide good enough service to communities in Vernon County.  The Cargills started a railroad called "LaCrosse and Southeastern" that connected LaCrosse to several Vernon County communities as of 1905.  This train ran on the west side of the Cargill Grain Elevator which had been newly built in 1905 at the corner of Bekkedal and Second Streets in Westby. Unfortunately we have not been able to locate a photo of the LaCrosse & Southeastern train stopped on the west side of the mill, but the photo below shows the Milwaukee train stopped by the east side of the grain elevator, just prior to when the warehouse was built (between the elevator and the Milwaukee train).

 

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