Freight House

About this venue

For centuries, the beauty and natural treasures of the St. Croix Valley have drawn people to the area which is now Stillwater. The first to call this area home were the Sioux and Chippewa Nations. Later, the first traders and trappers in Minnesota Territory settled here. By the mid 1880’s, railroading and river activity helped build the community into a bustling town of 13,000 people. Stillwater became the trade center for miners and trappers to the North, and farmers and lumbermen to the West. The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad eventually saw a need for a freight depot. In 1979, the historical significance of the building was recognized and the Freight House became the first building in Stillwater to be placed on the National Registry of Historic Places.