Two Trains and a Mill — 1905

In 2005, Evelyn Larson was commission by Ruth Rupp to draw Two Trains and a Mill for the 100 year celebration of the Logan Mill and La Crosse and Southeastern railroad. Pictured is the Southeastern headed south and the Milwaukee headed north. Logan Mill (many owners
and name changes over the years) was the only business in Westby that was served
by both railroad companies each having their own railroad tracks,
Milwaukee on the east and Southeastern on the west.

In November 1860, The Milwaukee Sentinel stated that a railroad was proposed to be built from Viroqua south to join the Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific at or near Muscoda. As we all know, this never happened.

Later, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St Paul & Pacific (C. M. St. P & P.) Railroad was planning railroads from Sparta south to Viroqua and from Wauzeka north to Bloomingdale. Construction was started on both but only the line from Sparta to Viroqua developed. Today, County Highway S in Bloomingdale is evidence of the early railroad excavation.

From 1848 until 1879 Westby was called Coon Prairie,with the Coon Prairie General Store and post office located in the town of Viroqua just south of the Accelerated Genetics.

Between the early 1860s and August 13, 1879, the day the first train arrived, many business were located further north of Coon Prairie at today’s State and Main streets. The railroad originally wanted to locate its new station about one mile further north at the intersection of Today’s County P and State Highway 27. The reason for this was that this was a major crossroad: Sparta to Viroqua and La Crosse to Bloomingdale. This attempt was defeated however by two La Crosse merchants Mons Andersen and C. B. Soleberg, who urged that the station be built in the vicinity of their good client, Ole T. Westby, and to honor Westby, the new business district was named Westby Station and replaced Coon Prairie as the post office.

The 1904 timetable for the C.M. St. P. & P. At Westby was: Trains Going South, 7:57 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. Trains Going North, 11:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The La Crosse & Southeastern Railroad arrived in Westby in 1905 and continued until 1933 when it was bought by the C.M. St. P. & P. The Southeastern as it was commonly called, traveled from La Crosse to Viroqua and had a round house in Viroqua that today would be in the vicinity of the Vernon County Highway Shop at the intersection of Main and Broadway streets. The depot was located where the Nelson Agra-Center parking lot is today.

In 1922, the Interstate Commerce Commission valued the La Crosse and Southeastern Railroad at $640,581.

While Bloomingdale and Avalanche never did get a railroad, the Kickapoo Vaålley & Northern Railroad was established between La Farge and Wauzeka with the first train traveling between the two in June 1892.