Luce Line Trail  

   The Lakeshore City  Photographs on this website were taken by: Lili McMillan, Brad Erickson, Eileen Riley, &  Sandie Larson and are copyrighted and not for resale or use.                     

Home Up Pictures - Luce Line

© Photographs Taken By: Rachel Dodge

LUCE LINE TRAIL - HISTORY

 
bulletThe "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.

 
bulletInterest 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. 

 

LUCE LINE TRAIL - USE

 
bullet The Luce Line State Trail is a 63 mile long former railroad grade which is developed for:
 
bulletBiking
bulletCross-Country Skiing
bulletHiking
bulletHorseback Riding
bulletMountain Biking
bulletSnowmobiling
 
bulletThe limestone surfaced trail runs from Plymouth 30 miles west to Winsted, with a parallel treadway for horseback riding.
 
bulletFrom Winsted to Cosmos 34 miles, the trail has a natural surface with 3 missing bridges. 
 
bulletSnowmobiles are allowed on the trail west of Stubb's Bay Road.
 
bulletFor a detailed map of the Luce Line Trail check out the DNR Website.

            і DNR Website, "State Trails," Luce Line. 
 

LOCATION & AVAILABLE PARKING

 
bulletPlymouth - Off of 10th Avenue N. & Vicksburg Lane.
 
bulletLong Lake - Take Hwy 12 W., to Old Crystal Bay Rd. S. to Watertown Rd., then west to Stubbs Bay Rd.  Go south 1/4 mile to parking lot on west side of road.
 
bulletLyndale - off County Road 92.
 
bulletOff of Carver County Road 127, south of County Road 20.
 
bulletHutchinson - 2 Locations, both located off Hwy 7, one on the east end and one on the west end of town

               і DNR Website, "State Trails," Luce Line. 
 

INFORMATION

     
Metro Area Trails & Waterways www.luceline.com (651) 772-7935
  1200 Warner Road    
  St. Paul, MN 55106    
     

TRAIL ORGANIZATIONS

     
Luce Line Trail Association    
  P.O. Box 102    
  Watertown, MN 55388    
     
   

Updated: 3/17/10

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Photographs on this website were taken by: R. Dodge and are copyrighted and not for resale or use.