Wisconsin Grown: The Nation’s First Rail-Trail
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Elroy was once a busy junction on the Chicago & North Western’s main line between Chicago and the Twin Cities. The railroad spent considerable funds and effort tunneling through the ridges between Elroy and Sparta to construct this route but, in 1911, they invested in a new, more direct line further north. Local trains continued to use this line into the 1950s, but traffic declined. In 1964, the Chicago & North Western abandoned the stretch from Elroy to Sparta, and the tracks fell into disuse.
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Did you know?
Three rail-trails meet in Elroy, Wisconsin
400 Trail
The corridor of the approaching train
Omaha Trail
The corridor of the departing train
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
The weed-grown tracks
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Railroad: Chicago & North Western Railroad
Location: Elroy, Wisconsin
Date: 1961
Credit: John Gruber, Center for Railroad Photography & Art, Gruber-03-048-033
The Chicago & North Western’s eastbound Rochester 400 passenger train approaches the railroad’s Elroy junction while its westbound counterpart waits to pull onto the main line.