Old Soo Depot Transportation Museum

The Old Soo Depot Transportation Museum occupies Minot's 1912 Soo Line passenger depot, a downtown landmark of the city's second railroad. The Great Northern conjured Minot into existence in 1886, when a tent town sprang up overnight and earned the place its 'Magic City' nickname; the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad — the Soo Line — followed in 1893 after landholders along the chosen route donated the right-of-way. The depot erected in 1912 served Soo Line passengers until December 9, 1963, when trains 13 and 14 between the Twin Cities and Portal were discontinued, though mixed-train service continued for some time afterward. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 as the Soo Line Passenger Depot, the restored building now houses the transportation museum and research center in historic downtown Minot, beside a line that today belongs to Canadian Pacific.