The Washington County Historical Society is excited to announce a program about Minnesota’s streetcar history on Wednesday, February 11 at 7 p.m. at the Washington County Heritage Center (1862 Greeley Street South, Stillwater, MN 55082). This event is free to the public and no reservations are required.
Before automobiles, planes, and the Light Rail, there were streetcars in cities across Minnesota. They were pulled by horses until 1889, when electricity became practical. Stillwater had no horsecars because of its steep hills, but in 1889 it opened the first electric streetcar lines in the state, ahead of Minneapolis and St. Paul. A public transit boom ensued.
By World War I, Twin City Rapid Transit company was running over 1100 streetcars on a system that reached from Lake Minnetonka to the St. Croix River, including Stillwater and Bayport. It lasted until buses replaced the last of the streetcars in 1954.
Presenter Aaron Isaacs will speak about Twin Cities streetcar history, then focus on the Stillwater area. Isaacs spent 33 years as a planner and manager for Metro Transit, where he worked in route and schedule planning, operations, maintenance, transit facilities, light rail and traffic advantages for buses. He’s a historian of transit, as a 40+ year volunteer with the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. He’s co-author of Twin Cities by Trolley, The Streetcar Era in Minneapolis and St. Paul, and author of Twin Ports by Trolley on Duluth-Superior.
Event attendees may attend for free either in-person at the Washington County Heritage Center or virtually on YouTube. To access the YouTube link, please visit wchsmn.org/event/streetcars. The Washington County Heritage Center is located at 1862 Greeley Street S., Stillwater, MN 55082.
For questions, contact the Washington County Historical Society at information@wchsmn.org or 651-439-2298.
 
Founded in 1934, the Washington County Historical Society is a donor-supported, nonprofit organization with more than 750 individual, family, and business members. WCHS is supported by individual gifts, memberships and earned income, and foundation grants.