Green Lake Station
Green Lake's Railroad Connection
The railroad track was north of town, just west of the intersection of Highways 23 & 49 off of North Lawson Drive.
If you look at Google Maps you can still see the right of way at the end of Depot Road.
The first railroad track from Fond du Lac to Princeton was completed in 1871. At its peak, from 1904 to 1915, there were 3 West bound and 3 East bound Passenger trains. There was the same amount of freights daily. This station was built about 1899-1900. The original station that was built in 1871 was sold and moved around, until finding it current home in Friday Park as a Green Lake Historical Museum.
This is a lithograph version of the previous image. H. Montgomery was a very prolific photographer and postcard producer from the Hartford Wisconsin area. He spent quite a bit of time in the Green Lake area.
In 1957 a Semi trailer from Voight Trucking rolled down the hill and badly damaged the station. Rail service to the area had dropped considerably by this time, so a large fancy station was not needed. Eventually the original station was razed and this building replaced the original station. The last train rolled through this area in the early 1980s.
It must be noted there was only one hotel in the area of the Train Station. It was built in 1949 and at that time it was Wisconsin’s first drive up motel. By the late 1960’s the motel had a heated pool and all 32 rooms had private baths. In February 2022 there was a fire there that did considerable damage. As of January 2024 it is still operating and taking reservations as the Dartford Inn.
There are more Dartford Motor Court post cards at the Hotels & Motels Page.
In 1913, Green Lake Railroad activity was at its peak. This schedule show the many options of trains to travel to and from Green Lake. The Pullman service listed was called the businessman’s Special. Businessmen could board the train on Sunday night at 9:30. The train would leave the station at Midnight and Arrive in Chicago in the morning just in time for breakfast.
This is a scan of a booklet produced by the C&NW Railroad in 1897 to promote travel to Green Lake. The title is “A Letter Not Intended for Publication”. It is a copy of a letter from Marabelle, from St Louis, to her Aunt describing her wonderful 2 month outing at Green Lake, Wisconsin. The letter is dated September 10, 1895.