The 120th Anniversary—Wayzata Depot

Aug 4

Source: Wayzata Historical Society website (LMHS)

A Wayzata icon is enjoying its 120th anniversary this week. The Wayzata Depot station was built by railway magnate James J. Hill and opened on August 05, 1906 to great fanfare! Let’s visit for the grand opening.

As we approach the station, we notice a crude dock extending into the water ahead of the building. Steamboats such as Minnehaha and Hopkins make regular stops here to drop off locals and tourists alike. Stepping into the depot, it’s immediately apparent that the Great Northern Railway planned for this station to be special. Looking around the waiting room, we see white enamel tiles covering the walls from the floor to about five feet in height. Above them, weathered oak beams cross plaster walls and encase the ceiling in a box beam pattern. The floor matches the pattern with a poured terrazzo slab broken up by beams of red marble. Cast iron steam radiators protrude from the walls and, down the hall, a bathroom features running water. Both of these are luxuries which many of the visitors have never seen in a railway station before.

Mr. Hill spared little expense in designing this station and, in many ways, it’s among the best stations outside a major metro hub anywhere on the Great Northern Railway. The estimated $8,000 construction cost —roughly $300,000 in 2025— is part of an effort to attract Lake Minnetonka ridership to Great Northern over the competing Minneapolis & Saint Louis Railway and Twin City Rapid Transit Company. The railway couldn’t have chosen a better location for the new depot, having acquired the land from neighboring entrepreneur & boatbuilder Royal C. Moore. Among the flurry of visitors to the opening event is Jim Hill himself. The 67 year old tycoon is handing out metal trinkets and souvenirs to local children with a smile and engaging the adults in all manner of topics. The relationship between Hill and Wayzata goes back some 35 years and has made an impression on both parties. Sure, the last decade has strained their bond but no one can deny the simple fact that, without Hill, Wayzata would be little more than a through town forgotten by all but the fishermen looking for a night’s stay.

At some point, Hill pulls his assistant aside and tells him to go back to Saint Paul, retrieve his desk, load it on a train, and bring it back to the station. The oak roll-top desk has been in Hill’s possession for some time and features a leather bound surface, brass hardware, and ornate flowers carved into its sides. He wants to gift the desk to the workers of the depot and, while no one could guess it, it will still be here 120 years from now. As the day comes to a close, many Wayzatans find themselves reminiscing about the past decade of struggle between the little lakeside town and the railway.

This new station was built as an olive branch to the townsfolk following a decade’s long feud. A lawsuit from them to the railway made two demands: Move the tracks off Lake Street and move them uphill—away from the lake. Hill fought the case up to the Minnesota Supreme Court and, ultimately, was forced to move the tracks off the road. However, he did not have to move them uphill, which would have added considerable expense. In response, he demolished the old station that was located at the intersection of Lake Street and Broadway Avenue, and relocated it a mile down the road near Holdrich. Hill’s famous quote towards the townspeople was simply, “Let them walk a mile for twenty years.” In response, the townspeople frequently recounted the phrase, “Twixt Hill and Hell, there’s just one letter. Were Hill in Hell, we’d feel much better!”

Fortunately, those rough days are behind us, while a new era—and century—of transport has arrived to Wayzata. The 1900’s will be wonderful, everyone agrees.