Woodburn, Iowa History: Railroad and Depot

Postcard submitted by Elizabeth Davenport Garrels

When the railroad originally came to the area south of Ottawa, Woodburn was the home of the Irish railroad workers. Later there were Mexican workers that lived down the track past the stockyards in old boxcars without wheels. At one point in the prosperous days of the railroad, there were five passenger trains a day that stopped at Woodburn. The passenger cars of the trains had iron framed seats covered with matting. They were heated by a small wood stove in one corner, with the fuel piled behind the stove.

The earliest reference we could find to the depot was in the Osceola Sentinel dated January 1, 1891, in the Woodburn items. “The burning of the depot last Tuesday night created quite a sensation for awhile but fortunately the wind did not blow and the other buildings were saved. It is not known how the fire originated.” In the February 5th issue of that year it is noted that the new depot is almost completed.

Orland Starbuck was an early depot agent at Woodburn for thirteen or fourteen years, and probably left around 1913. He then transferred to West Burlington, and later was appointed agent at Osceola. He died tragically of pneumonia at the age of 38 in 1918 in Osceola, leaving a wife and five children. Orland was an Irishman, whose hometown was Tyrone, Iowa, where he was laid to rest.

Fred Stover was the next depot agent, who came to Woodburn about 1913. He and his wife had one child, Wade, before they came to Woodburn and four more children later. In the days that Fred ran the depot, it was open 24 hours a day. The depot agent came on duty at 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Two operators worked the second and third “trick” (what we now call a shift). These ran from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight and then from midnight to 8:00 a.m. These men were all telegraphers and had to report every train to the Dispatcher that came through, even if it did not stop.

Osceola Sentinel, January 4, 1900

The citizens of Woodburn are signing a petition to have the railroad company put in an underground crossing west of town where Mr. Darlington and Mr. Davis were killed last week. If the company would do that it would be a good thing for all concerned. The trains run so fast going west in order to make the hill at Woodburn that the crossing will always be a dangerous place as long as time lasts.