Ottumwa Station

Now used as an Amtrak station, the historic Ottumwa Station was built in 1951 by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). It is a good example of post-war Modern Movement architecture and represents the impact the CB&Q had on the city's development. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

The first railroad to arrive in Ottumwa was the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad in September 1859, which was established in 1852 in the town of Burlington. Ottumwa was the western terminus of the railroad until after the Civil War. At the time, Ottumwa was an important wholesale center. Goods were shipped there by rail and then sent on wagons heading west or on steamboats on the Des Moines River. After the war, the railroad started to build a line westward which reached the Missouri River in 1869. The CB&Q invested in constructing this line and eventually acquired the Burlington and Missouri Railroad in 1875. By investing in and later purchasing the Burlington and Missouri, the CB&Q wanted to extend its reach to the Missouri River and ultimately become a part of the Transcontinental Railroad. In 1889, the CB&Q built a combined passenger and freight station, called the Ottumwa Union Depot, which it shared with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (three other railroads operated in Ottumwa as well).

Beginning in the 1920s, the railroad industry began to modernize. One development was the introduction of the diesel engine, which was more efficient than steam power. Modern trains were also introduced, including the CB&Q's Zephyr cars. In order to present itself as a modern, forward-looking company, the CB&Q decided to build new streamlined train stations. The company built a new depot in Burlington in 1943 that served as the model for subsequent stations, including the new one built in Ottumwa in 1951. It was built on the foundation of the 1889 depot and the exterior walls of that station were incorporated into the new structure.

When Amtrak began operating at the station is unclear but a part of the building housed the Wapello County Historical Museum from 1988 to 2020.

Naumann, Molly Myers. "Burlington Depot." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. November 26, 2008. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/1e64e757-e63b-4ba7-ae11-2d12f58d46bf.

"Ottumwa, IA." The Great American Stations. Accessed March 10, 2022. http://www.greatamericanstations.com/stations/ottumwa-ia-otm.