Chicago and North Western Roundhouse

In accordance with the guidelines established in the Multiple Property Documentation forms for "Historic Railroads of South Dakota," the Chicago & North Western roundhouse is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places with statewide significance." The facility is significant for its association with the development and operation of the Chicago & North Western Railway in South Dakota. The C&NW played an extremely strong role in the initial settlement of much of South Dakota, and for decades thereafter remained a dominant economic force in the state. For decades, Huron was a major division point for the railroad, and the Huron yard served as the most important operations base for the C&NW in South Dakota.

Simultaneously, the roundhouse and its associated facilities were major local employers and vital pillars of the community's economic well-being. The roundhouse area is the most significant surviving reminder of historic railroad operations in east-central South Dakota and is among the largest and best-preserved of such facilities in the state.

The roundhouse is eligible under Criterion C as a relatively well-preserved example of early twentieth-century railroad roundhouse design. This is the only still-operating roundhouse facility in South Dakota, and in design, materials, and layout it remains highly characteristic of the form. While a variety of changes have taken place to the property since its initial construction, the most
s took place during the roundhouse's period of significance and were reflective of evolving trends in the railroad industry as a whole.

Simultaneously, however, the Huron roundhouse complex retains a level of integrity higher than that of other roundhouse complex retains a level of integrity higher than that of other roundhouse sites in South Dakota.

Historical information: As with most platted townsites in eastern South Dakota, the city of Huron largely owes its existence to the nineteenth-century development of the state's railroad network. The future site of Huron was on the route of the Chicago & North Western's first long-distance incursion into South Dakota, and the area began a period of rapid growth after the arrival of the C&NW in 1880. Huron's future was quickly assured the following year when the town became a junction point for the railroad's primary east-west and north-south lines in the state; the C&NW quickly named Huron a division point and constructed a roundhouse, yard, and other facilities there. An 1884 map of the C&NW facilities at Huron shows a semicircular masonry roundhouse, a large car shop building, and other developments. These continued to serve the railroad until after the turn of the century.

The C&NW continued to build new lines in eastern South Dakota throughout the late nineteenth century, and as its operations and traffic level grew Huron's importance as a railroad center continued to increase. It is likely that, by 1900, the railroad was beginning to outgrow its original yard and roundhouse complex in Huron. Soon, however, a period of even more rapid growth seemed imminent: in September 1905 the C&NW announced that it would extend its east-west main line from its terminus at Pierre across western South Dakota to Rapid city, the gateway to the rich Black Hills country. As the primary division point on the completed portion of the east-west line, Huron stood to benefit tremendously from the expansion, and the railroad undoubtedly foresaw the need for a far larger yard and shop facility in the town.

The C&NW line west to Rapid City was completed and in operation by late 1907. The building of the new line was accompanied by improvements to the existing route across eastern South Dakota, including new trackwork, heavier rail, and other projects. The current roundhouse, turntable, and storage building at Huron were almost certainly further byproducts of this expansion and improvement program. Railroad files and business records discussing the construction of the current roundhouse are not known to survive, but Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Huron indicate that the current roundhouse was constructed between 1904 and 1910." In addition, much of the rail remaining in use around the current turntable area is imprinted with a 1907 manufacture date. These clues combine to suggest that the current roundhouse area in Huron was built in or about the year 1907. The facility was probably built by a local contractor under the supervision of the C&NW's engineering department and using standard C&NW plans for such facilities.

When completed, the new roundhouse housed forty stalls and was the largest C&NW facility ever built in South Dakota. (The former roundhouse, which stood west of the 1907 development, was removed during the 1910s.) railroad's business growth in South Dakota during the 1910s and 1920s probably did not meet earlier expectations, the Huron roundhouse and yards remained a place, and continued as the operator for the C&NW in the state. The immediate roundhouse area probably remained little changed from 1907 until the early 1940s, when the building's heating plant was modernized and several stalls were lengthened to accommodate the larger locomotives of the day. Simultaneously, though, the greater power of the newer locomotives meant that fewer engines were based at Huron, and the roundhouse was reduced in size by removing a bank of stalls at the building's eastern end. This may have occurred in approximately
1943.5
In the years following World War II, the relative prominence of the railroad in South Dakota transportation began to decline as automobiles and trucks became more and more common. By the 1970s the decline in local railroading had become very pronounced, and many C&NW lines in the state were abandoned. This significantly reduced the importance of the Huron facility. A further industry development was the replacement of the steam locomotive with diesel-powered units in the early 1950s. Diesel locomotives required significantly less maintenance than steam power, and this further reduced the importance of the Huron roundhouse.

The second group of roundhouse stalls was razed during the 1960s, reducing the facility to its current size.

By the early 1980s, Huron had lost its status as a railroad division point, and the roundhouse area saw only limited use. The one remaining C&NW line through the city was threatened with abandonment. In 1986, however, the C&NW sold its line through Huron to a new entity, the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E). Under DM&E stewardship, traffic on the route has grown and is expected to increase still further. More importantly for Huron, the railroad chose to base its locomotive maintenance and repair activities at the old C&NW roundhouse there. The DM&E has repaired and partially remodeled the old roundhouse, and the facility is now busier than it has been in some time.