History and Archives
Our History
The 31.61-acre Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District encompasses the former Sioux City Engine Terminal and Car Repair Shops of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railway.
The complex was constructed between 1916 - 1918, opened 1918 by the railroad’s motive power and engineering departments. The facility served as a “divisional” terminal for servicing steam and diesel locomotives and repairing rail cars for 65 years until its closure and abandonment in 1981, when the railroad was insolvent and in receivership.
The railroad subsequently sold the property to a farm machinery salvage operator, essentially turning the once industrious complex into a junkyard.
In 1995, the City of Sioux City and the Siouxland Historical Railroad Association entered into a development agreement to preserve the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. The City of Sioux City’s urban renewal planning effort in 1991 for the Riverside Neighborhood identified and recommended a potential redevelopment of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District as a historical attraction. The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association bought the Milwaukee Railroad Shops in December 1995 with the aid of federal funds administered by the City of Sioux City.
The Siouxland Historical Railroad Association operates as a private non-profit museum in Sioux City through its ownership of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. The Sioux City Railroad Museum provides exhibits, public programs and special events to further the public’s understanding of the railroad industry and its industrial heritage.
Our Archives
The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District houses a significant permanent museum collection that includes more than 5,000 objects consisting of periodicals and trade publications, organized labor and corporate records, photographic materials, and railroad artifacts.
This collection represents 140 years of statewide and regional railroad history and the work life of hundreds of railroad workers. Contained within this permanent collection is railroad equipment, including locomotives, passenger cars, freight cars, and maintenance-of-way cars.
Our Preservation and Tourism Awards
NOVEMBER 2000
Save America’s Treasures
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Milwaukee Railroad Shops
Great Northern Railway Steam Locomotive #1355
DECEMBER 2005
National Register of Historic Places
United State Department of the Interior
Great Northern Steam Locomotive #1355 and Tender #1451
FEBRUARY 2010
John H. Conant – Nebraska Railway Preservation Award
Great Plains Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society
Preservation of Great Northern Steam Locomotive #1355
Preservation of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops
OCTOBER 2011
Preservation at its Best Award
Preservation Iowa
Machine & Blacksmith Shop
2016
Significant Achievement Award
Association of Tourist Railroads & Railway Museums
Milwaukee Railroad Shops
OCTOBER 2018
National Register of Historic Places
United State Department of the Interior
Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District
JUNE 2019
Preservation at its Best Award
Preservation Iowa
Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District