Santa Fe Railroad Depot
Introduction
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The historic Santa Fe Railroad Depot was built in 1926. It is now an Amtrak station and houses the Flagstaff Visitor Center.
Backstory and Context
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The city of Flagstaff grew around a water source called Antelope Spring. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad built the first railroad to reach Flagstaff in 1882 and used a box car as its first depot. It erected the first depot building in 1883, which is just down the road. The company, which was often referred to simply as the Santa Fe Railroad, built this second, larger passenger depot in 1926. At that time, the previous passenger station became the freight depot.
Over time, the city grew and became an important economic center for the region, and it also serves as a tourism destination owing to its history and natural beauty and proximity to the Grand Canyon. The city assumed ownership of the depot in 1992 and renovated it in 1994 and the building has been home to the visitor center since that time.
Sources
Garrison, James et al. "Railroad Addition Historic District." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. January 18, 1983. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_AZ/83002989.pdf.
"Railroad Depot." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed September 20, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=78739.
The Historical Marker Database