William Crooks locomotive, St. Paul, Minnesota

The William Crooks was the first locomotive to operate in Minnesota. Constructed in 1861, it provided service a year later for the Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad, a company that eventually became part of the Great Northern Railway. James J. Hill had the locomotive pull his personal train. It now resides in a static display at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth. Minnesota. Engineer Herschell Hudgens, Jr. and three unidentified people shown.

~ Photo Credit: New Brighton Area Historical Society

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *