1913 Wilson Creek

Photo courtesy of the Grant County Historical Museum.

Looking to pin down the date of this photo. Most of the intermediate terminal facilities here were removed around 1924. Anyone care to venture a guess?

Comments:

My guess for a photo date would be 1930 into the early 1930s, based on the following GN engine-facility related AFE’s for Wilson Creek:

1920, new coal chute, AFE14650, new 250 ton balanced bucket type. [WilsonCreek]

1923, remove tools from RHo and RIP, AFE23598, [WilsonCreek]

1925, remove cinder conveyor to Troy, AFE29139, [WilsonCreek]

1926, coal chute [equip?] to Fosston [MN], AFE31692, [WilsonCreek]

1930, remove coal chute and engine house, AFE43609, [WilsonCreek]

Interesting photo Dan, thanks for posting.

Roger Burrows

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Using records form the Jim Mattson collection and the Jackson Street AFE list , here are some dates that may help:

AFE 8189 in 1903 is for a public crossing, the 1903 print shows the roundhouse and turn table in place and shows the 30 x 30 section house and one 16 x 24 section house

I could not find a date for removal of the roundhouse

AFE 13823 in 1907, on file at Jackson Street, is for the construction of a section house, so may be the second 16 x 24 that is in the photo

Print for AFE 6625 in 1918 shows the 3 section houses like the photo, it also shows the brick sand and oil house to the left of the locomotive and has the roundhouse removed.

AFE 6625 of 1918 shows the warehouse on the right and the next building as in the photo

The section houses seem to be painted box car red

Photo seems to be several years after removal of the roundhouse, the area of the roundhouse does not look disturbed, has grass growing and looks wind blown

Perhaps the date of some of the buildings in town would also help.

Checking some locomotive assignments may help, but I don't know much about them.

Others may have more information that would help.

Until more information is available I would guess c1910 to 1918

Bob Kelly

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I think Bob's analysis is spot on.

Note your source says 1913. Is there anything in photo to disprove that date? That brick building in the distance looks new. Can you find out when it was built? How about the church?

As to locomotives I know from the AFE for Appleyard, written mid 1921 that savings in engines related to closing Leavenworth and Wilson Creek was figured in terms of Class O engines which indicates to me that they were the normal, or default, power between Hillyard and Leavenworth at that time.

GN bought 20 in 1911, another 50 in 1913, 25 in 1916 and 50 1917-1919. If GN was trying to get a train of X tonnage over the main line, the two non mountain grade territories were westward from Havre and between Leavenworth and Spokane which had 1% ruling grades in both directions. If strategy was to minimize train miles in a more congested territory, I would expect them east of say Minot ND. My personal guess is that the O class appeared at Wilson Creek with or shortly after the order of 1913. In that case I would not expect to see two Class F engines at Wilson Creek very often.

My conclusion is we have nothing to disprove the 1913 date.

Mac McCulloch