This Civil War engine hauled first train between Saint Paul and Minneapolis on June 28, 1862. The famous locomotive is owned by Great Northern Railway Company, and is on permanent exhibition in the Saint Paul Union Depot.
THE WILLIAM CROOKS
The Northwest’s First Locomotive
Named for the chief engineer of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Great Northern’s predecessor line), the William Crooks was built in Paterson, N.J., and arrived in St. Paul by Mississippi river-boat in 1861. On June 28, 1862, the engine made its maiden run over the first ten miles of Minnesota railroad – from St. Paul to St. Anthony, Minn. The engine is now on display in the St. Paul Union Depot.
