La Crosse station

The La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad opened between its namesake cities in 1858, followed by the St. Paul and Milwaukee in 1867. Through mergers, both became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) by 1874. The 1858-built station was replaced by in 1878 by the Cameron House, a combined depot and hotel located near downtown La Crosse.[2] By 1910, La Crosse was served by six daily round trips on the Chicago–Milwaukee–Minneapolis corridor (including Chicago–Tacoma and Chicago–Miles City, Montana round trips), two La Crosse–Savanna, Illinois round trips, one La Crosse–Wessington Springs, South Dakota round trip, and one La Crosse–Madison, South Dakota round trip. North La Crosse station, located at the junction of the mainline and the spur to downtown La Crosse, was served by some trips.[3]

The restored waiting room

The Cameron House station was gutted by fire on December 24, 1916; a temporary station was constructed nearby. A decade of public debate followed about a potential union station to serve all five railroads in La Crosse. The powerful Milwaukee Road insisted on a station in North La Crosse, away from the downtown area, to avoid the time-consuming backup move that crossed busy city streets. In 1925, the Milwaukee Road was given permission to construct its new station in North La Crosse, slightly east of the old North La Crosse station.[4][2]

Construction began in 1926 and lasted about six months. The station cost $300,000 (equivalent to $3.8 million in 2021), plus $60,000 (equivalent to (equal to $0.8 million) for the acquisition of sixteen lots to make room for the structure. It opened on January 31, 1927. The location on the mainline saved 24 minutes for through trains compared to the downtown location.[2] The Milwaukee Road authorized a taxi company to carry passengers between downtown La Crosse and the station for a flat fee.[2] A downtown freight house remained in use until 1955.[5]

By 1955, the station was served by one daily Chicago–Tacoma round trip (Olympian Hiawatha), three daily Chicago–Minneapolis round trips (Morning Hiawatha, Afternoon Hiawatha, Pioneer Limited, Fast Mail), one daily La Crosse–Austin round trip, and a Minneapolis-to-Chicago local.[6] Over the years, service gradually decreased as subsidies for automobile and air travel cut into the profitability of passenger rail. Service to Austin was eliminated in 1960, and post office mail contracts were cut in 1967. By October 1970, only the daily Morning Hiawatha round trip plus the Minneapolis-to-Chicago Fast Mail served La Crosse.[7]

La Crosse station in September 1985

Amtrak took over intercity passenger service on May 1, 1971. Amtrak retained the Burlington Northern Railroad's Empire Builder, but rerouted it between Minneapolis and Chicago, replacing the Morning Hiawatha on a similar schedule. On November 14, 1971, Amtrak added a second daily Chicago–Minneapolis round trip. It ran between Chicago and Seattle three days a week as the North Coast Hiawatha, and between Chicago and Minneapolis the other four days as the Hiawatha. The Hiawatha was renamed Twin Cities Hiawatha on January 16, 1972, but returned to Hiawatha on October 29; it shared the North Coast Hiawatha name beginning in 1974.[8]

The Empire Builder and North Coast Hiawatha were combined east of Minneapolis in 1977, with the Twin Cities Hiawatha operating daily. On April 30, 1978, the Arrowhead and Twin Cities Hiawatha were merged to form the Chicago–Duluth North Star. The North Coast Hiawatha was discontinued on October 6, 1979, though the Empire Builder continued to run. The North Star was cut back to a Minneapolis–Duluth service in October 1981, leaving only the daily Empire Builder serving La Crosse.[8] The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[2] A renovation that included an accessible platform was completed in 2001.[9]

A second daily Chicago–St. Paul round trip, the Great River, is planned to begin in September 2023.[10] Resumption of the North Coast Hiawatha is being studied in 2022–2023.[11][12]