Frederic Soo Line Depot/Museum Opens May 25

FREDERIC, WI -- The Frederic Area Historical Society starts its 34th year of bringing the history of Frederic to life at the Soo Line Depot/Museum Saturday, May 25.

The 1901 Frederic Soo Line Depot is the last of its kind on what was once the major pipeline of commerce in this area through more than half of the last century--the railroad. The Soo Line railroad and logging started Frederic.

When the Soo Line abandoned rail service through Frederic in 1989, the Village acquired the depot and restored it with transportation enhancement grants from the Department of Transportation, as a rest stop on the Gandy Dancer State Trail and a museum of local history. The Frederic Area Historical Society operates the museum.

In addition to the local history items archived in the depot, the original Frederic Library building, an immigrant’s log cabin from the late 1800’s, and a 1970’s Soo Line wide-vision caboose #137 are on display.

The depot/museum is open to the public from Memorial Day weekend through leaf season in the fall. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., weekends, and holidays. There is no admission charged, but donations are welcome and help to fund the operation of the museum.

Frederic Area Historical Society members will be on hand to share the history of Frederic, and the coffee will be on during the opening weekend.

The Historical Society is always looking for new members to help share the past through volunteering at the museum. This is an excellent opportunity to give back to your community and keep Frederic’s history alive. Frederic’s history belongs to you! If you have any interesting memorabilia for display, from the Frederic area or the Soo Line railroad, please stop in or call 715-371-0574. New members are encouraged to attend and see what is new for 2024.

Check out museum pictures at fredericwi.com - click on Helpful Links Museum/Depot.

2024 Wisconsin State Trail Passes, required for bicycle riders 16 years of age and older on Polk County’s State Bike Trails, the Gandy Dancer and the Stower 7 Lakes, are available at the Depot. There is a self registration box located on the museum sign, so passes are available 24/7.