Back to top

This Day in Minnesota History

January 9, 1861

  • Cite
  • Share
  • Correct
  • Print

The steamboat Alhambra, towing a barge carrying railroad track, cars, and the locomotive William Crooks, arrives in St. Paul. Operation of William Crooks, the first steam locomotive in the state, begins on June 28, 1862, with a trip to St. Anthony. The locomotive, named for the chief engineer of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, now rests at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth.

  • Cite
  • Share
  • Correct
  • Print