| A CN through freight crosses Main St./Hwy. 96, passes Daufen Park, and passes the historic Dale feed mill as it heads southeast via former SOO rails at Dale, WI, on 8 Aug. '20. Hwy. 96 used to be Hwy. 10, until the latter's expansion and relocation ca. '97. The Dale feed mill was built between 1889 and 1908, when it was Northern Grain Co. By ’10 it was the Western Elevator Co. (Western Grain Co. in some references). It was the Steffen’s Elevator Co. from ca. ’21 until at least ’68 (it was purchased by John H. Steffens and later run by his sons). It was Dale Feed Service from ca. ’73 until at least ’81. It has been home to Earth Sense Energy Systems, Inc., W9715 State Rd. 96, Dale, WI, since ’96. The depot once stood between the locomotives and the feed mill. It looks like someone has absconded with the station sign which was emplanted after the depot was removed. The post for the station sign can be seen to the right of the front of the lead locomotive. Train had three locomotives, CN 2246 and CN 5727 pulling, as well as CN 8875 mid-train. |