12 St Croix County

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Small hotel, not modern.  Ford garage is best. MH</I>.</div> <div> The Causeway or “dike” and arch at the foot of Walnut St. marks the beginning of the Yellowstone Trail (YT) in Wisconsin.</div> <div> In 1915 the YT entered Wisconsin from Minnesota across the St. Croix River on a toll bridge and adjoining causeway, or “dike” as it was locally called, built out to meet the toll bridge.  Toll was 25¢ per auto driver and 5¢ for each additional passenger. College kids stowed away in auto trunks for a free trip across. By 1950 the aging bridge carried 4000 cars a day, vs. 6 vehicles its first month in 1913. The arch was erected in 1936. The toll bridge was replaced with a free bridge about one mile south in 1951. The I-94 Interstate bridge came in 1965. Today the “dike” serves as a pleasant place to stroll.</div> <div> Lakeside Park runs next to the river north and south of the Causeway.  Features are swimming beach, picnic areas, playground, boat docks, volleyball. The St. Croix River was designated St.Croix National Scenic Riverway.</div> <div> <B>M0.04</B> Dick’s Bar, 113 Walnut St, site of the former Yellowstone Trail Buffet.<I> J.B.Gage has adopted a new name for his refreshment buffet, the ‘Yellowstone Trail Buffet.’ 1915 Hudson Star-Observer. </I>The Buffet was on the first block up from the river where many steamboats still moored.</div> <div> <B>M0.09</B>  Just South of the YT at 426 Second St. is the San Pedro Café, site of the former Yellowstone Café. <I>The place of business of the Yellowstone Café under the ownership of Koenig Brothers has been moved to the Benz building [426 Second Street] just south of the National Bank.</I> <I>Hudson Star-Observer Dec</I>.<I> 30, 1926.</I></div> <div> <B>M0.5</B> Third Street Historic District consists of 17historic homes on Walnut and Third Streets. Travelers can obtain a Historic Walking Tour map from the Chamber of Commerce 502 Second St.  Three houses which saw the YT are most interesting:</div> <div> <B>Phipps House,</B> Queen Anne style, 1005 Third Street, built in 1884, now the Phipps Inn Bed & Breakfast Inn.</div> <div> <B>Octagon House,</B> 1004 Third Street, built 1855 on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a museum maintained by the <B>St. Croix County Historical Society</B>. Open summers.</div> <div> <B>Boyden House, </B>Victorian Gothic style,727 Third Street, built in 1879. Private residence.</div> <div> <B>M7.0 </B>Intersection with “Yellowstone Trail,”  a road that the original YT no doubt followed to and across the RR and then Alexander St. back to today’s US 12. By the late 1920s the route was moved to the present US 12 in this area.</div> <div> <B>M11.4 Roberts</B></div> <div> Between <B>M10.8</B> and <B>M17.7</B> the YT was moved to the more northern route because of the coming of the state trunk highway system in 1918.</div> <div> <B>M17.7 Hammond </B><I>Occupied in dairying and grain raising.  Rooms, not modern; small garage. MH</I></div> <div> On the corner where the YT (present US Hwy 12) takes an abrupt 90 degree turn is the Hammond Hotel. Built in 1879, the hotel may no longer be functioning, but the restaurant/bar is still going strong. Live entertainment is featured on weekends, and it seems to be the headquarters for the annual llama run. There is even a llama song. </div> <div> Hammond and Baldwin are joining Hudson in becoming bedroom communities for the Twin Cities. Farmers have been growing rows of town houses and McMansions  instead of corn. </div> <bR> <div> <B>M21.5 Baldwin</B>   <I>Free camp at park on highway.  Good Country hotel. MH; Camp maintained by Community Club in park on Main St. near creamery.  Accommodations for 5 cars, 20 people. .5 acre.  Opera House with moving pictures twice a week. AAA </I>  The Lumber Company Brew Pub & Eatery, 870 Main St. is a newer place, probably named after the old lumber company<I> </I>which stood there in YT days<I>.</I></div> <bR> <div> Between <B>M21.3</B> and <B>M26.6</B> the YT was moved to the more northern route because of the relocating and concreting of the Trail in the late 1920s.</div> <div> <B>M26.1</B> <B>Woodville</B>    Woodville was  incorporated in 1911; newspaper came in 1913; electricity came in 1914; a water system in 1920. It was named Woodville because of its big woods. Lumbering was the main industry in 1870s.</div> <div> <B>M27.5</B> Until the late 20s the original YT ran straight through here on 70th across the RR.</div> <div> <B>M30.3----Hersey</B>.  Once a booming lumber mill town, Hersey also had a white clay mine. The clay was used in the making of porcelain china. In YT days a campground existed at the corner of YT (present US 12) and present 292nd St. Helen Petranovich, in her <U>History of Hersey</U> says: <I>The year 1926 found the Old Yellowstone Trail becoming better known as US 12. The old graveled road was widened and became a cement paved road. The Old Yellowstone Trail was at that time a main throughfare for horse jockies and gypsy caravans as they travelled westward.</I></div> <div> <B>M30.6</B> – <B>M32.9</B> In the late 1920s the YT was moved to the present US12 to straighten the route and avoid two RR crossings.  The original route included 70th Ave., Wilson/310th St, and Old Hwy 12/LaPoint Rd (in town). Both ends of this route were abandoned.</div> <div> <B>M32.4 Wilson </B><I>  Free camp space at Gas station on Highway. MH</I><B>M34.0</B> Between Wilson and Knapp (Dunn Co.) is Knapp Hill. It is not now as scarey as it was when folks were driving  the YT. No need now to back up the hill to keep gas running to the engine.<I> </I>Story has it that slow moving trucks could slow down the traffic righteously, leading a trail of exasperated drivers of underpowered flivvers<I>. </I></div> <div> Between Wilson and the county line, the route was subject to much straightening. You might look for the old route weaving in and out. </div> <div> <B>M34.5</B> is the Dunn/St Croix county line.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Hudson Wayside</B></div> <div> <B>Code 1 </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B> Prospect Park</B></FONT></div> <div> <I>From Prospect park, overlooking the city, one has a splendid view of the surrounding country. Free kitchen and dining rooms are maintained in this park for tourists.</I> <I>BB1921, v10</I>.</div> <div> Prospect Park was created in 1885 overlooking the city. Adjacent to the park at its south end was a tourist camp that was used by many travelers on the YT since its opening in 1922.  Diaries of Trail travelers speak of “driving up the steep hill to the camp” (3rd St.) and “enjoying the view of the town and river below.” </div> <bR> <div> Code 3 <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" > Hudson Historic Note:</FONT></div> <div> Nov. 3, 1916 the Hudson Board of Trade took out a membership in the Yellowstone Trail Association.</div> <bR> <div> Code 1<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" >  Hudson Historic Note:</FONT></div> <div> In Hudson, a  portion of the YT (US 12) beginning at Vine and 9th streets and running east for 3 ½ miles was concreted and opened to traffic in October, 1921. A great celebration was held with upward of 2,000 people attending, featuring speeches by the YTA general manager, city and county officials, and a picnic. This celebration was <I>a recognition of the importance of the problem of the country highway as an artery of commerce. </I>The state was going to stop the concrete at 11th street but the Commercial Club (early Chamber of Commerce) prevailed upon the state and federal governments for aid to complete the last two blocks.</div> <bR> <div> Code 1<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" >  Hudson Historic Note:</FONT></div> <div> Probably when the State created the state trunk highway 12, the locals combined that name with “Yellowstone Trail” and called the route “Trail 12." There was a “Trail 12 Café” which is now a sports bar on Second St.  A short bit of road east of town (<B>M6.7</B>)is still named “Trail12.”</div> <bR> <div> Code 1<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" >  Hudson Historic Note:</FONT></div> <div> In May, 1922, Hudson’s YT was opened for its 8th summer season by officials of the YTA. Members of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce visited and toured the new tourist park.  H.O. Cooley, general manager of the YTA spoke to the Hudson Commercial Club, claiming that the YTA was making an industry of summer touring. </div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#B07050" FACE="Arial" >Code 2</FONT>  A public ladies room was established in the basement of Carnegie Library in 1921.  <I>Mrs.</I> <I>Livermore is the attendant. She has been supplied with Yellowstone Trail maps which can be had for the asking.</I> (What? No facilities for men?) <I>Hudson people are requested to direct travelers to the rest room for information and comfort. The Commercial Club has also provided an employment bureau at the rest room.</I> <I>Hudson Star-Observer</I> <I>1921</I></div> <div> Code 2<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" >  Hudson Historic Note:</FONT></div> <div> Headline story of the early days of autoing in the <I>Hudson Star-Observer: </I> <I>Two separate auto parties formed a sociability run to Hudson from St. Paul.</I> A “sociability run” was a social event of a caravan of cars all going to the same destination just for fun.<I> </I>However<I>,</I> in the same article:<I> a Hudson car was rear-ended by a Minnesota hit-and-run driver who was apprehended. </I>Was the<I> </I>culprit one of the Minnesota sociability run drivers? They only imply.</div> <div> <B>               </B></div> <div> Code 2 <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0080FF" FACE="Arial" > Baldwin Historic Note  </FONT></div> <div> A traveler today may be familiar with a Woodall travel guide.  In July of 1915 Mr. Woodall himself came through <B>Baldwin</B> on the Yellowstone Trail preparing a travel guide. <I>Mr. Woodall is engaged in carefully measuring distances between towns, stopping where supplies can be procured, noting all the places of interest to motor tourists both on the trail and at distances removed therefrom.  He is employed by the YTA on this particular trip. Hudson Star-Observer July 9, 1915.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Code 2 </I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >Baldwin Historic Note:</FONT></div> <div> Baldwin had the “Baldwin Motor Club”as early as 1913, created “for social purposes, to promote good roads, and the general welfare of the automobile game.” One wonders what was meant by ‘the automobile game.’</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Driving notes</B> </div> <div> The original (1915) route of the YT can still be followed except for the inevitable bits of straightening and relocation to avoid rail crossings.  </div> <div> When Wisconsin designated and numbered the state trunk system in 1918 they did not always chose the same route that YT officials had chosen.  Moreover, the state required the YT Association to move their routes to be on state trunk highways. The route through Hudson was one of those affected sections and from 1919 the YT had to follow Vine St./Co. UU out of town, which was state trunk 12. At that time that route included what is now Jacobs Lane.</div> <bR> <div> Before the 1920s, roads had been routed for their convenience for use as farm-to-market wagon roads or mail delivery routes. In the 1920's the horrendous accident and death rates at rail crossings motivated the use of newly available state and federal funding to reconstruct roads to avoid unnecessary crossings or to construct overpasses. See <B>M30.6</B> – <B>M32.9</B> for an excellent example.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>