Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha Turntable
Posted by: 
MNSearchers
N 44° 04.440 W 095° 39.670
15T E 286906 N 4883535
End-O-Line Park had its beginning in 1972 when Colleen Illg and Roxanne Probst, junior leaders in the Poco-a-Poco 4-H club in Currie, decided to clean around the turntable in the railroad yard.
Waymark Code: WM1TW9
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 07/09/2007
Views: 41
Their 4-H project called Community Pride inspired them to preserve the manual operation turntable for the future. The 4-H club cleaned the pit of the turntable and picked up and mowed the area around the turntable. What had been an eyesore now attracted attention as a pleasant roadside stop.
One reason the 4-H Club started the park was to remind people about how the railroads helped pioneers by bringing in all kinds of supplies like the mail, milk, coal, farm implements, canned goods, dry goods, etc. Little communities sprang up about seven miles apart on the railroad lines.
The 4-H Club next purchased the abandoned Chicago and Northwestern Depot for one dollar and were asked to remove it from railroad property so they decided to purchase about three acres of land across highway 38 to the east of the depot. This parcel of land contained the turntable. To help pay for the land and the moving of the depot the 4-H Club asked for monies from the City of Currie and the Murray County Board of Commissioners.
Each year new projects and opportunities to improve the park present themselves and so we attract more school groups, more adult groups and more visitors from the general public. Everyone who comes to the park is given a "turn" on the turntable and a guided tour of all indoor and outdoor facilities. Visitors may enjoy a picnic in the large picnic shelter and then take the family for a walk on the nature trail.
Street address:
Co. Hwy. 38
Currie, MN USA
County / Borough / Parish: Murray
Year listed: 1977
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1900-1924
Historic function: Transportation
Current function: Park
Season start / Season finish: From: 05/30/2007 To: 09/05/2007
Hours of operation: From: 10:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Privately owned?: Not Listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.