The other day while out on a run on a route I have done many times before I made a small detour to go up next to the recreated Train Depot in Eden Prairie. It is supposed to have the look and feel of the original one that has been gone for years. As I was passing through the area a sign caught my eye. I have seen it before but this time I decided to snap a picture of it to look at more closely later in the day (pretty sure I have taken this same picture before).

A historical information board showing a black and white map of the Eden Prairie Station on the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad from 1917. Above the map is a sepia-toned image of a steam locomotive pulling a train through a landscape. Text on the board explains the location and route of the

Once I was home and looking at the map on the sign more carefully I noticed something interesting near the area marked Island Lake. It showed an abandoned line that had been rerouted. That sparked my curiosity because I know that area well and have had some questions about trails around there. However, what was more interesting is that the line that still exists in Eden Prairie today was missing from the map. I understand that the purpose of the map was not to show every train line but instead to highlight the depot and the old train line that no longer exists, which is the one I had just been running on.

Over the past couple of days that small discovery has sent me digging into old plot maps, articles, and photos. It reminded me of other things I have come across before in Eden Prairie but never looked into far enough to make sense of. I now have a pile of notes and references with no real purpose except to satisfy my curiosity. Every time I think I have found an answer it seems to only lead to more questions or another string to pull on.

So this is my warning, so you know what you might be getting into I will probably post some of these random historic facts here, if only as a way to keep my own record of them.

That is all for now but there may be more to come if I can find some kind of ending to the thread I started pulling on…

Finally, to not let this post linger too long, here is a little about the Eden Prairie Train Depot itself. The placard in the photo above tells most of the story, and there is more detail at the Eden Prairie Historical Society or local news. The only embarrassing thing I found in all of this is actually right there on another sign I had taken a picture of before. The original Eden Prairie Depot was not located where the recreation sits today but just to the right of the photo below and not to the left where the replica now stands.

Interpretive sign titled “The Eden Prairie Depot” with historical information, images, and a map, located in a grassy area with a gravel path leading through trees in the background.

View of the current recreation of the Eden Prairie Train Depot, sitting south of the original location. The replica water tank is in the background.

A rustic train depot labeled “Eden Prairie” with a wooden water tower in the background. The building has a wooden exterior with large windows, and a pathway leads up to it. Surrounding the area are grassy fields and a clear blue sky.