History of Eland

---

 

The village of Eland was originally named "Eland Junction" and was platted in 1888 by the railroad. Eland was incorporated as a village in 1905.

In the Mid 1800's Eland had multiple sawmills to include: "J. Hamlin Company" and "Eland Traffic Company." The companies would store their logs in the mill pond which was at the same location as the current fishing pond.

In the late 1800's and early 1900's Eland was a large terminal for freight and passenger trains for the Chicago & Northwestern railways. The railway line split at Eland offering 2 routes south to Chicago: one through Green Bay and Shawano; the other through Clintonville and Oshkosh. The tracks ran as far north as Ashland. During the railroad peak, there were as many as 20 trains that would pass through Eland in a day.

The railroad made Eland a thriving community for residents and businesses. Around the Railroad Depot there was a bank, multiple stores and even the "Fuller House" hotel with restaurant that had a famous T-Bone steak.

Today the big trains are gone, the railways have been converted to bike/recreational trails and business has changed. However, the old railroad depot still remains. In the 2000's many community members got together to fix up the depot and turn it into a museum to help keep Eland's rich railroad history alive. They also built a "Round House" (shed) that stores the old, restored Eland fire engine and 3 working smaller train engines. The Eland Area Historical Society currently maintains 1700 feet of railway and switches to operate the train engines and passenger cars.

Print History of Eland