Railroad Town – Stuart, Iowa
I pulled into town in the afternoon of a sunny and warm day in late April. After checking-in to a hotel on the highway for the night, I drove into town for dinner. The first thing I saw as I crossed the tracks on South Division Street was a substantial and well preserved former Rock Island depot. After eating at Ruby’s Pub and Grill, the late afternoon sun was about right for photography so I made my way over to the depot.
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad reached Stuart, Iowa, in 1868, and the passenger station was completed in *1869. Working closely with the railroad, Charles Stuart, the founder of the town, secured Stuart as the division headquarter for the railroad. A roundhouse and shops were constructed along with other structures related to the operation of the railroad, cementing Stuart’s identity as a railroad town.
In its heyday, the railroad was the powerful engine that drove the town’s economy, and the majority of the population of 2500 depended either directly or indirectly on the railroad for their livelihood. In 1897, the railroad moved its facilities to West Des Moines, and Stuart went into decline. Passenger service continued until 1965 and the railroad abandoned the depot in 1977. After several years of neglect, renovation was started in 1997.
Across the street from the depot, the Hotel Stuart once served travelers arriving in Stuart by train.
As I was taking pictures of the depot, two gentlemen approached and asked what I thought of “their” depot. I introduced myself and learned that the two men were brothers on their way to the City Council meeting. Dick Cook is the mayor of Stuart and his brother Bob is a town historian. Dick hurried off to the meeting, and Bob stayed behind to tell me about the history of the railroad in Stuart. From him I learned that although only the depot remains, Stuart was once a thriving railroad town. Bob graciously shared some pictures from the town’s railroad history, and here is a selection of the photos that he sent.
Edd Fuller – Photographs and text Copyright 2022
*Note: There is some confusion about the date of the Depot. The town's website and the sign at the depot give the date as 1879, but several other sources, including the Nomination Form for the National Register of Historic Places say the station was completed in 1869. UPDATE: Bob Cook writes: "To clarify, the first depot was a wooden structure built in 1869 east of where we visited. The brick depot that has been restored was erected in 1879 but was older. It was originally in the Quad Cities on the Mississippi River, taken apart, moved to Stuart and re-built!
I remember visiting the depot years ago.
Very nice! Thanks!
Goosebumps! You certainly hit pay dirt by running into Stuart’s Cook brothers!
A Stuart Depot story will be part of “Leora’s Early Years: Guthrie County Roots,” coming out later this summer. Because of my mother’s and Grandma Leora’s stories, I’m a fan of the “Liza Jane” branch train that ran between Stuart and Guthrie Center. I recently visited the grave in Stuart of Liza Jane engineer, Murray Johnston, who retired in 1912. There’s a small display about him inside the museum. I’ve got three stories about the Liza Jane on my website, and donated family bricks to the front of the Stuart Depot.
My grandpsrents rode Liza Jane from Glendon thru Windy Gap to be married in the Guthrie Center Methodist Church. Her maiden name was McGlothlen and her married name was Weikert
Oh, I love this note! Thank you. My grandparents, Clabe and Leora Wilson, lived at Glendon in 1917.
Absolutely amazing photos, and what a great story of your encounter with the Cook brothers. They must have been thrilled to meet you. Stuart appears to be a town that understands its historical and cultural importance, and has invested to preserve it. There is a feeling of vitality in this installment that strongly contrasts with the emptiness and even isolation of other stops that you made.
Thank you for writing and sharing photos of “our” Depot. For more information about Stuart, go to https://stuartlibrary.org then go to the Newspaper Archives tab.
Enjoyed the article and photos. Liked the photo (with cut out picture!) of the men gathered in front of the shop….a number of them holding their trusty tools of their trade over their shoulders. The fellow at top left looks to be perhaps a timekeeper, or other office employee…he has his official notebook at the ready.
The large group gathered at the station are near (I think) a 1959 Ford Fairlane, or Galaxie…I would date the photo to that year or just a bit later. It may be possible that this group of primarily women may be headed off to a meeting or perhaps a convention… Chicago ?. The men may be there to see them off.
Thanks.
Wonderful story of serendipity and history. The old photos remind me of the book “Rock Island Lines In Focus” by I.E. Quastler, which is full of railroad photos around Horton KS early in the 20th century. Crystal clear images of another era.