Cudahy Historical Society

4647 S Kinnickinnic Ave

Cudahy, WI 53110

Mission Statement

The Cudahy Historical Society's Mission is to keep alive the interesting history of our city and to share it with all its residents, young and old. As owners of the city's Railroad Depot, we have a place to store the artifacts and documents that tell the city's story. We invite all the city's residents and friends to add to that history and to share in our appreciation of the past.

History of the Depot

Patrick Cudahy bought 700 acres of land in the 1890s. He planned to open a $1 million meat packing operation with his brother and got the Chicago and Northwestern Railway to open a railroad stop. The railway system and the depot itself played a big role in Patrick Cudahy's decision to build in Cudahy, the town and the depot were named after him .

In 1892 the depot land was deeded to the Northwestern Railroad by John and Patrick Cudahy. The railroad built the depot in 1893. When it was built it consisted of separate men and women's waiting rooms, a telegrapher's office and an attic for storage. It was constructed of hand-hewn timbers and had hard wood floors and oak planking nearly a foot wide. The railroad made a special 8:00 am stop at the packing plant so Cudahy wouldn't have to walk from the depot.

At first, Patrick Cudahy had a hard time getting people to work in the hard, dirty, seasonal job of meat packing. In the late 1890's there was no refrigeration making meat packing a seasonal job. They smoked, salted,packed and shipped only in the winter months. Patrick Cudahy advertised in foreign language newspapers and attracted the very poor who had borrowed to come to America and wanted any chance to work. Many of the people who came through the Cudahy Depot were Poles, Hungarians and Slovaks, who had some experience in meat preparation.

Around the turn of the century Patrick Cudahy installed a huge stone in the front of the depot. He also constructed a small fountain and pond that he personally stocked with goldfish. During this time the barn-like depot proved to be a Mecca for immigrants arriving from Poland, Germany and Italy. Ladies enjoyed a separate ticket office and waiting room, also high ceilings that allowed them room for their high fashion hats and parasols. An old newspaper account stated that women did not care to be annoyed by uncouth male passengers who carelessly cussed and chewed tobacco.

Business was booming for the depot during World War I, the population of Cudahy had grown from 1,854 to 3,691. As a consequence it found it needed more storage space for merchandise. A freight room was added to the building in 1912. A special train called "The Scoot" picked up Cudahy Brothers employees from Milwaukee and took them to and from work.

The depot was used to send off boys during the draft of World War II. It stayed active for the duration of the war.

The depot's longest and most remembered employee, Fred Lambert, started working as a clerk at the depot in 1908 and worked up to Station Manager by 1937. He finally retired from the depot in 1957. It was around this time that passenger service was discontinued and the amount of freight handled by the office decreased because of the increase in popularity of truck and plane service.

In 1971 the building was condemned due to it's need for extensive repairs. The Cudahy Historical Society was formed in 1972 to preserve the depot as a historical landmark and to restore it to it's original state for use as a museum and community center. It was abandoned in 1975 and in 1978, after a few years of negotiating, the Society acquired the deed to the sagging old structure from the Northwestern Railroad. The land surrounding the depot was donated to the Society by the Patrick and Anna M. Cudahy Family Trust. Since the late 70's the depot has been lovingly restored and kept up by the many volunteers who graciously donate their time, money and labor.

The Cudahy Depot was designated a Milwaukee County Registered Landmark in 1983.