A series of postcards shows the Iola & Northern, which would
eventually become a rural branch of the Green Bay & Western.
The Iola & Northern was conceived to build a railroad line
connecting the Green Bay & Western with the forests of northern
Wisconsin, but only five miles of the line was ever built. The
Green Bay Route acquired the line in 1901.
The I&N railroad went due north from the GBW main line
interchange at Scandinavia, then swung eastward as it approached the
village to end at the center of the city. The original I&N
depot -- built 1893 -- is still standing in Iola. The line was
abandoned in 1958.
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The railroad approached the village of Iola from the west. Small wooden
industries lines the right-of-way. The street which paralleled the track
is still called "Depot Street." The boxcar on the far left of
the warehouse is a Green Bay & Western car.
The railroad crossed crossed the south branch of the Little Wolf River on
this trestle.
Iola's depot (in the center of the photo) still stands today.
Starch was processed from potatoes, a common crop in the dandy soils of the
area.
Postcards, undated.
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