| The Winona & Western (nee Winona and Southwestern) was an 1890s regional railroad which ran from Winona, Minnesota, to Osage, Iowa, with a branch to Rochester. The W&W later was acquired by the Chicago Great Western, which chipped away the most arduous portions of the road but kept the rest until the Chicago and North Western all but eliminated the route of this upstart railroad. Happily, a portion of the W&W/CGW remains in operation as a spur line to industries located on Rochester's south side. The old W&W/CGW depot survived as well. Today it is a Mexican restaurant. Boy would I love to photograph a train passing this station. |