I went to a random town in Wisconsin
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
- Have you ever heard of Waupaca, Wisconsin? I hadn’t. However, I found myself spending the night at a hotel in this town of 6000. The weather was nice, I was determined to go out and explore. After consulting with my friend Google, I realized Waupaca had an electric streetcar line running from the train station to the Veterans Home. It opened in 1899 and was closed by 1925. Though its history was short-lived, I wanted to know what its legacy was. I walked the route from my hotel to the old train depot. What did I see along the way? Find out!
Trains Are Awesome!
Chapters
0:00 Thom in the Midwest
0:32 I am in Waupaca
2:28 Fulton Street and County Road QQ
3:20 MILK
3:42 Dinner at Mo’s
5:56 Main Street
6:49 Waupaca Falls
7:49 The Old Depot
10:09 Recap - Авто та транспорт
![Stroads are Ugly, Expensive, and Dangerous (and they're everywhere) [ST05]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ORzNZUeUHAM/mqdefault.jpg)
I grew up in Waupaca, and eventually moved back to raise my own kids here. It’s a great little town with a rich history and strong tourism due to the Chain-O-Lakes. It was fun watching this video from an outsider’s perspective and I appreciated the history of the streetcar. Btw, it’s just the one Farmer’s State Bank, but for some reason they have always had that sign up on the Main Street corner. There are a lot of great hidden gems and places to eat throughout the town, so I hope he comes back to explore more someday.
Waupaca just redid Main Street before you visited. During the renovations we got to see some of the old track of the street car which was hiding underneath the modern road. Very cool to see some of the history!
I wish I could have seen that!
Very familiar with Waupaca. 20 or so minutes from where I grew up. Never knew it had a streetcar!
Another interesting upload Thom. Whilst I am a 'city slicker' I too like to do trips out to country towns and look around - so relaxing to get away from all the 'hustle & bustle' of crowded & noisy city life. Interesting also about your comment concerning the store that sold milk. In Australia (& New Zealand) we used to have 'Milk Bars', they sold mainly milkshakes, ice creams, confectionaries & sandwiches (many also had hamburgers that you had to wait for whilst they cooked your order). Then along came the American-style 'fast food' outlets whereby your burgers were 'good to go' (no waiting time). I do miss those good old unique-tasting hamburgers. Really enjoyed viewing your upload & looking forward to the upcoming Wilwaukee one (also on my bucket list when I hopefully get to experience Amtrak's Empire Builder). Thank you for sharing.
My dream is to one day go to an old-fashioned soda fountain, where they make the soda for you.
Wisconsin is very beautiful, much more than I think its reputation gives it credit. The Empire Builder highlights some of the scenic parts, although it’s regrettable that it doesn’t stop in the beautiful city of Madison.
I like Reubin sandwiches so the spring roll version sounds good to me. Well done tour!
The old abandoned white building next to the train bridge was a plant and warehouse called morimatic. My mother worked there back in the day.
What did they make?
Same thing I always do when I visit some area and have some extra time, just walk and see if I find a railroad, a train, anything that pass over rails, to know the history and also to see if there's any remaining of what it was before.
You always do an awesome job Researching Railroad history. Love watching your videos!
Thank you! I appreciate it a lot
Local Waupaca resident thanks for visiting the town and I actually didn’t know the line went all the way to the vets home I thought it was just the down town area(doesn’t make sense though)
I think the main group of patrons was veterans and people working at the home!
We live in Waupaca and it has a bit more interesting history. The business " Mainstreet marketplace" has a book that shows photos of the old streetcar that ran through town. Small town living is the best.
This is my first time seeing your channel, probably recommended cause I live near Waupaca. This is a grrat video and you are just adorable! 😄💛
Glad you enjoyed!
Tom history is amazing, loved your video thanks.
Thank you! I love history. I just wish history was kinder on our public transportation.
Great video!!! Wondering what work you do that took you there…glad you could take us all along!!!
Thank you! Never thought I’d go here, that kind of made it extra fun.
Kenosha has streetcars too!
I thoroughly enjoyed your visit to Waupaca ! Looking forward to your time in Milwaukee, and trust you will return to Chicago on a Amtrak Hiawatha Service ! Many thanks.
Sadly didn’t take the Hiawatha this time! Still hoping to do so sometime soon.
An innovative and creative video. No streetcar tracks? Walk the old route! An interesting story, Thom. Street cars must have been popular in American small towns in the early 20th Century. In our small Kentucky town, 1900 population 3,384, the local privately operated electric utility laid street car tracks in 1906 and operated electrically powered street cars until 1923. The increasing popularity of the automobile and the relunctance of the city council to permit the company to raise the fare beyond a nickel made the line unprofitable. The tracks were taken up in 1925.
Streetcars were the way to move! I think your story of the trolleys in your Kentucky town illustrate that nicely. But what a short lifespan! Sad.
I wish Chicago would have kept something (other than route numbers, many which still correspond to the old streetcars).
I used to live in northeast Wisconsin and I had never heard that Waupaca had a streetcar. I'm surprised this line had no connection to another electric railway. The TMER&L (The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light) network once extended a long way from Milwaukee, but not that far.
This is cool
Thanks! I remember being surprised when I stayed there and found out the history
There was also street cars in Appleton WI and Pittsburgh PA. They were cheap and gave workers easy transport back and forth to work. Appleton also had a Soo Line passenger train service until 1961. My mother took me on one of the trains a few days before they stopped service. I was 5. Goods used to be transported by train from the local businesses, but the tracks have been torn out. There is only one main railroad track through town. The History Detectives on PBS did a show on street cars. There was nothing wrong with them. They were efficient. But money and greed is why they disappeared. Standard Oil was big then. Eventually the government broke them up as being a monopoly and killing chances for small businesses. Around the early 1900s, they bribed public officials to eliminate the street cars and replace them with city buses. Of course they need gas, oil, and repairs so where do you go? Standard Oil. Hope this clears up the mystery why they are no longer here.
About 15 miles west of Waupaca in Amherst Junction was a Union Depot for the Soo Line and Green Bay and Western. There was a staircase to go from the upper tracks to the lower tracks. The Green Bay Route went above and the Soo Line went below. To this day one can see parts of the foundation of the former depot along the north side of the Soo Line (currently CN) tracks by looking at Google Earth. The GB&W tracks have been removed between this location west 12 miles to Plover and is now one segment of the Tomorrow River State trail. Another segment of the trail goes from Alm Road (about 1 mile east) to Manawa another 20 miles. The tracks in between are used to service the fertilizer plant in Amherst Junction. The State had yet to connect the two segments together with a bridge (current trestle is used for servicing the plant) over the old highway 10 (county highway KK) but since their focus is primarily roads, that may never happen.
great video would be so awesome if the streetcar line got rebuilt 🚋🚊
That would be awesome. Highly unlikely, but awesome nonetheless.
I used to camp alot in the area, went to Hartman creek state park! Fun place
I enjoyed it!
For those unfamiliar with the usage of the term in the Midwest U.S., a "Reuben" sandwich has corned beef and sauerkraut, and is often served on rye bread. I always order "corned beef with swiss" to skip the sauerkraut.
Dude you’re missing out on the sauerkraut 😂 jk if you like it you like it if you don’t you don’t
There's a live webcam on top of the Waupaca station building on the Virtual Railfan channel.
I took a look at it, and right when I opened it, a CN locomotive ran by without any cars behind it!
Virtual Railfan has a live camera feed set at the Waupaca Depot catching daily CN traffic and the switch crew that works the industry from time to time that you featured at the end of your video
would you ever go to Astoria, Oregon & ride the trolley there ?
Totally! There’s not many places I’m not down to go explore
disclaimer: we do not wash the cars with milk
Well now I am disappointed
4:55 The fried Oreos do be bussin not gonna lie
Oh so bussin
@@Thom-TRA Indeed
How is St. Louis?
@@Thom-TRA Next week I'm going
@@dangelohartley5977 oh right sorry
You really need to go back to Waupaca. The "true gems" are in the barn that is near the street. No, there isn't a streetcar in there, but there is an old freight car that the street car would have pulled behind it. Strange by today's standards, I know. Plus, when they are giving tours, you will learn a lot of extra information. Like, why is the station on a hill with a gravel driveway? Why does the Clay Tile roof look so good for a 100 year old building? FYI: Those aren't clay tiles on the roof. What is this street-level crossing? Okay - that one i will also answer. It is the siding for the Waupaca Foundry.