Soo Line Depot

The construction of the railroad may be the single most significant factor in the history of Minot. Minot is known as "the Magic City" because of the rapid growth following the construction of the railroad through the Souris River Valley. The train was a brilliant way to transport goods, people, and livestock quickly across large distances. It was also an excellent mode of transportation for alcohol.

This passenger depot was constructed in 1912 as a part of the Sault Ste. Marie, or "Soo," line. By 1926, it had become evident to law enforcement that this railroad stop was being freely used to illegally transport alcohol across state and Canadian borders. But even though it was a widely committed, and widely known, offense, both local and federal agents of the law simply did not have the resources to stop the transports completely.

The importance of the railroad in Minot is impossible to overlook. There was no permanent settlement in the area before its arrival, and there would not be one today had it not been for the tracks that run through the downtown district. The Soo Line Passenger Depot, constructed in 1912, represents the competition between railway companies that lead to the town’s expansion in the early twentieth century. While the Great Northern Railway was the first to lay track in the town in 1883, the Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Sault Ste. Marie (or “Soo”) line came just a decade later. When the Depot opened its doors, it was touted as the “finest structure of its kind in the Northwest!”

The advent of the railway was introduced to the Great Plains region as a major mode of transportation for people, livestock, and liquor. “Flagrant violations were in evidence” across the Canadian border and regulation became a major issue for the Federal officers charged with enforcing Prohibition laws. By 1926, it was clear that the railroads in Minot were being “freely used” to transport illicit alcohol. It seemed the only viable option that the federal government had to curb this activity was to plead with the railroads themselves.

Through a series of several conferences in major cities across the U.S., government officials and rail companies came to an agreement that every reasonable effort would be made to close the railroad as an option for the illegal transportation of liquor. And while these efforts did what they intended to do by cracking down on shipment inspections, the victory was not absolute. There were still incidents of railroad employees agreeing to look the other way while bootleggers and liquor men loaded up illicit goods. While it was thought by Prohibition officers that public cooperation decreased the rate of transportation of alcohol, it is more likely that the offenders just got better at hiding their technique.

Today, the depot is an event space that has been lovingly restored to a replica of its opening appearance. The structure’s significance as a landmark of the downtown has been celebrated for over one hundred years. It represents the growth of Minot’s commercial economy and population at the beginning of the twentieth century. But it also represents the growth of the liquor trade in an era where the tension, frustration, and fear of that subject could not have been more prominent.

[1] Steve C. Martens and Ronald Ramsay, “Old Soo Depot Transportation Museum and History Research Center (Soo Line Passenger Depot),” SAH Archipedia, Society of Architectural Historians, accessed 16 July 2023, https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/ND-01-WD3.

[2] “Finest Depot in the State,” Minot Daily Reporter Vol. 7, No. 296, 18 October 1912, accessed 16 April 2023, https://minotlibrary.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=soo%20line%20passenger%20depot&i=f&d=01011894-12312009&m=between&ord=k1&fn=minot_daily_reporter_usa_north_dakota_minot_19121018_english_1&df=1&dt=10&cid=3106.

[3] James M. Doran, Public Cooperation in Prohibition Law Enforcement, United States Treasury Department, Bureau of Prohibition, June 1930, Washington, D.C., part of the collection at University of Wisconsin Memorial Library, accessed 16 July 2023, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89096347976&view=1up&seq=12.

[4] Ashton Gerard, “The Depot Restored to its Original Glory,” The Minot Daily News 2 December 2019, accessed 16 July 2023, https://www.minotdailynews.com/life/business/2019/12/the-depot-restored-to-its-original-glory/.