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© Photographs Taken By: Rachel Dodge
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LUCE LINE TRAIL - HISTORY |
 | The "Luce Line" or "Electrical Short Line Railway" was built by
Colonel William Luce from downtown Minneapolis, through the countryside
and continuing on to Gluek in west central Minnesota.
The original intent of the line was to capture the farm to market traffic
originating in central Minnesota and to provide transportation for people
to downtown Minneapolis via electrically propelled trains.
In 1927, the line finally reached its terminus of Gluek, which was referred
to as the "coast" by the railroad.
However, in 1960, the Minneapolis and St. Louis, and along with it the
Luce Line, was purchased by the Chicago Northwestern Railroad.
Rail traffic in general was declining. With reduced revenues and
maintenance difficulties, the Luce Line was no longer efficient
competition against trucks.
The Chicago Northwestern abandoned the line from Hutchinson west to Gluek
in 1967. Five years later, the remaining track from Hutchinson east
of Highway 494 in Plymouth was removed.
Today Colonel Luce's railroad empire is part of the Department of Natural
Resources trail system.
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| Interest in acquiring the Luce Line for a recreational trail was
sparked by citizens who had enjoyed other rail-to-trail conversions.
The Luce Line Trail Association sponsored and published an engineering
feasibility report on conversion in 1973, and lobbied the legislative to
designate the Luce Line as a state trail.
Interim management plans were written by the DNR in 1974 and 1976, with
the first master plan for the Luce Line completed in 1978. The
section from Stubbs Bay to Watertown was surfaced with limestone in 1977.
Watertown to Winsted was surfaced in 1980. |
і Luce Line Website "Harold-Journal.Com,"Luce
Line Trail History.
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LOCATION & AVAILABLE PARKING |
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| Metro Area Trails & Waterways |
www.luceline.com |
(651) 772-7935 |
| 1200 Warner Road |
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| St. Paul, MN 55106 |
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| Luce Line Trail Association |
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| P.O. Box 102 |
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| Watertown, MN 55388 |
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| Luce Line Railroad Club |
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(320) 587-7802 |
| 1380 Jefferson Road |
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(320) 234-4153 |
| Hutchinson, MN 55350 |
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Updated: 3/21/05 |
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