"The Only Waunakee in the World"

In 1870, Waunakee was known as the Village of Leicester. In the fall of 1893, the Village that we know today was formally incorporated. The prominent Chicago/Northwestern Railroad was extending its line to St. Paul at that time and the officials of the railroad wanted to locate a station in the Waunakee area. A location near the mill on Woodland Dr. and Bong Road, (intersection of Sixmile Creek) was chosen. 

Early settlers, Mr. Lewis Baker and Mr. George Fish, owned land along the new railroad line and plotted a village on their property. In exchange for $1,500 and two miles of right of way, railroad officials changed their original plans and trains roared to a stop in what is now known as Waunakee.  Waunakee was chosen and is Native American in origin, meaning, among other things, "the fair and pleasant valley."

The original plat of the village was in January 1871. The first building built in town was a house on Second Street, built in 1870 and the first business place was a general store built on Main Street in 1871.

​History Of The Waunakee Depot

In 1871, the Baraboo Air Line Railroad teamed up with the Chicago/North Western Railroad to negotiate where the railroad line should go from Madison to the Mississippi River. Several Waunakee area landowners, George Fish, Lewis Baker, Ira Bacon and Solomon Martin, donated two miles of their right-a-way and $1,500 to the railroad company to build the station and allow the railroad to come through Waunakee.

The first depot quickly became the focus of a thriving agricultural economy. Farm products such as livestock, cream, tobacco and grains were shipped from the depot. In 1892 a fire destroyed the depot but a new one was built in 1896 and that building remains in Waunakee today. The depot is on the national register of historic places and is home to the Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber serves as the official community Tourism and Welcome center for Waunakee and is an advocate for businesses. In addition to serving over 300 members, the chamber has served the community in a variety of ways since 1979. The Depot grounds is also a Village park named after Mr. Hubert L. Reeve who served as a depot agent for over 50 years.

At one time, sixty trains passed through Waunakee daily, fourteen of them passenger trains including the famous C&NW “400”. Today, trains pass through town daily. Passenger service was discontinued in 1963 and the depot closed for good when Bob King, the station agent, locked it for the last time in 1971.

In the 1970’s, the Waunakee Arts Council spearheaded an effort to restore the depot. Volunteers and the Seabees of Madison Naval Reserve Center made repairs, including a new paint job and roof shingles. In 1977, the depot was purchased from the railroad for $12,000. The funding was a gift from Mr. Bob Reeve, a son of the early agent Hubert Reeve. In 1978, the grounds were officially dedicated and named as “Reeve Park” and the depot was then placed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Waunakee Society of Model Railroaders has a 1950’s display in the lower level of the depot. This display depicts a 1950’s layout of the Chicago North Western Railway from Madison to Rock Springs.