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The construction of the Northern Pacific Railway in the Brainerd lakes area didn’t come easy. But once the tracks were laid, officials immediately turned their attention to the construction of a passenger depot as an area transit hub for the burgeoning community of Brainerd.
The one-time Crow Wing Count Jail and residence of the sheriff on Laurel Street was converted to a museum and research library.
Before semitrailers and airplanes became the dominant form of transportation for cargo and even personnel, the country’s waterways such as the Mississippi River in Brainerd were used. Ferries carried supplies and men across the river, and along it, in the region’s early days.
The Young Men’s Christian Association in Brainerd — better known as the Brainerd Family YMCA today — had its beginnings at Sixth and Front streets when the Northern Pacific Railway offered to build a wholesome place for the young men of the railroad and the community to spend their leisure time.
The Northern Pacific Railroad bridge over the Mississippi River in Brainerd collapsed in 1875 while a train was on it. The engineer, a fireman and several passengers died in the accident. The engine, nearly a dozen cars of merchandise and almost a dozen cars of steel rails went into the river.