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Published December 12, 2008, 12:00 AM

St. Croix Storage & Transfer fire

Fire destroyed a huge warehouse that was once home to the storied Hudson rail works


Portions of the building that burned overnight in North Hudson date back to the days when Hudson anchored the southwest corner of the "Omaha X" -- a rail network hubbed in Spooner but linked Hudson, Duluth, Ashland and Eau Claire with other major rail lines.

  • Portions of the building that burned overnight in North Hudson date back to the days when Hudson anchored the southwest corner of the "Omaha X" -- a rail network hubbed in Spooner but linked Hudson, Duluth, Ashland and Eau Claire with other major rail lines.
  • Portions of the St. Croix Storage complex date back to the 1880's when rail maintenance buildings were constructed.
  • A separate building housing repair services for hand cars was built on the St. Croix Storage site in 1916.
  • Chunks of burned cardboard and ashes can be seen on roof-tops and snow-covered yards well south of the fire scene. This large piece landed on a rooftop in the 1400 block of Third Street, more than three-quarters of a mile southeast of the North Hudson fire. Submitted photo.
  • This Google map shows the location of St. Croix Storage in North Hudson in the upper left corner of the image. The St. Croix River is to the left, and Lake Mallalieu to the south.
  • St. Croix Storage & Transfer Co., 239 Monroe St. in North Hudson sustained heavy damage in the Thursday night and early Friday morning fire. Two aerial ladder trucks were called in to fight the fire.
  • The east side of the building sustained the worst damage.
  • An aerial ladder crews fights the fire through the tops of a grove of trees.
  • A crew shoots water on the south end of the heavily damaged building.
  • A water tank is set up at the corner of Monroe Street N. and Fourth Street N.