Gowrie, IA: C&NW/M&StL & C&NW Depots and Old Grain Elevators

M&StL Depot: (Satellite)

C&NW+Fort Dodge Depot: (Satellite, this is along the Ford Dodge tracks. I think the c&NW shared it.)

Extant Old Grain Elevator: (Satellite, I dropped the pin east of the old elevator because I did not want to obscure the connection from the old elevator to the long buildings.)

See Stratford, IA, for a C&NW map for this route.

Chicago & North Western Historical Society posted
Someone wanted to see photos of Gowrie, Iowa on an M&St.L line. Here are two from our historical society archives. Love that omnibus. The big photo is from about 1908 and was donated to our society by Ray Buhrmaster. The second photo is a Charles Stecher photo. Gowrie is located about 25 miles or so south of Fort Dodge, Iowa. A UP track still run north and south through town.

John Harker posted
A rare view of C&NW SD7R 6621 on a switch job at Gowrie, Iowa in August 1978. Gary Groat had given me this slide to scan some years ago, but I don't know that he took it.

Dennis DeBruler commented on John's post
Given that the depot was built by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad, it was here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8AMUBp8X1FqfnLha6
Today's gravel road was the house track. I wonder if the Rock Island also used this depot because it is the route going to the Northwest. Fort Dodge used to be Newton & North Western (NNW), and it was already abandoned to the west.
1965 Gowrie Quad @ 24,000

 

Dennis DeBruler commented on John's post
It appears the Fort Dodge/NNW depot was a little west of Park Street. Did the C&NW share this depot? I can't find a depot-like building along the C&NW tracks, and the topo map shows that the C&NW had connections to the Fort Dodge tracks on both sides of the Park Street building.
1964 aerial [AR1VBAC00010040]

I noticed on a satellite image that the old elevator along the C&NW might still be standing. So I looked for it with street view. In this view, note it peeking out over a building on the left side. I saved this view because of all of the Purina checkerboards.

Street View, Jul 2021

I found a better view. It looks like it has been integrated with the rest of the elevator.

Street View, Jul 2021

Actually, the original elevator is connected to a wood annex.

Street View, Jul 2021

Maybe they use the old elevators to store miscellaneous grains. They obviously use metal bins to store corn.

Street View, Jul 2021

Note along the bottom that some of the old bins from the 1964 aerial are still standing. I wonder when the elevator lost rail service.

Satellite

The elevator supplies feed and seed as well as stores corn. 

BruntlettElevator

I originally got a 1950 aerial because most depots are still standing in 1950. But when I could not find a C&NW depot, I got for the 20,000 scale 1964 aerial above. I include this 1950 view because it is an interesting study in photo resolution.

EarthExplorer: Oct 12, 1950 @ 70,000; ARA000700060251