Old Depot Railroad Museum

History

In 1985, when Burlington Northern decided to tear down the old depot in Cokato, MN., Howard Page (a Dassel businessman) purchased the building, cut it in half, moved it to Dassel, MN., and reassembled the depot in it's present location. "It was just too bad not to have it available to the people", said Page. "It's the history of what happened in the United States, really". Take a trip back in time, recapture the nostalgia of those railroad "hey days", at The Old Depot Railroad Museum.

For Howard Page, what started out as a mild childhood intrigue for trains, a love of restoring old buildings and the desire to preserve history, grew to become the elaborate collection of railroad treasures, known as, The Old Depot Railroad Museum.

Initially, the depot was used for community theater, craft sales and even a haunted house on Halloween! But then, Page began to acquire a stronger and stronger interest in railroad memorabilia and began to fill the depot to the rafters with railroad artifacts. "I just got the bug to collect things", admits Page.

Today, the extensive collection, which began with donations of items from area residents, has grown to reflect items from Page's extensive travels. There are artifacts from all over the United States and even some from the Soviet Union, Taiwan, Australia, Austria and China. A major aquisition of the famous: Railroad Memories Bar of Spooner, WI., increased the Old Depot collection by over 1,000 pieces. This included: lights, bells, whistles, signs, tools, and even an old two man hand car. The old-time atmosphere is incredible!