The Christensen Family has owned the grain elevators adjacent to this land for years. Fourth-generation Jake tells the story of the railroad and nearby grain elevators.

The Northern Pacific rail ran through Battle Lake at this location from1882 to 1982. The depot was located just north of the train track where the rail bed is visible. The initial depot was destroyed by fire and a new one constructed in 1891.

The depot was like a town square. Young people gathered to see what the next train would bring (and a start for many a romance); businesspeople came to unload freight destined for store shelves and customers. Passengers from as far away as Missouri got their first glimpse of Battle Lake upon arriving at the depot.

One such notable passenger was wealthy industrialist Phillip DeCatesby Ball who ended up building a summer cottage on West Battle Lake. The Ball family rode the Northern Pacific back and forth every summer for several years before the time of automobiles.

But in the beginning, trains hauled freight—passengers had to sit on benches in box cars to ride the train. In May 1885, the Northern Pacific added a passenger car and opened Battle Lake to the world and vice-versa.

People in nearby communities like Pelican Rapids, Underwood, and Perham made treks to Battle Lake for weekend excursions on West Battle Lake. Townspeople boarded the train for sights near and far at amazing prices: a round trip to Fergus Falls costs 80 cents, to the Minnesota State Fair, $6.13, and to Yellowstone $43.22. It was the heyday of train travel.

Of course, those days are gone–-the last railroad freight service ended in 1982 and by 1989 the land had been platted and lots sold to adjoining property owners. All that’s left of the Northern Pacific rail in Battle Lake are memories and the city’s “Railroad Park.”

But some of the past remains. Two of the four grain elevators seen from the Northern Pacific depot still serve our agrarian economy. Buckwheat and other crops stored in the elevators are shipped by truck to the Great Lakes and points beyond. The grain elevators are a proud symbol of our past and present.