The station was built in 1900 for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway.

It used the railroad's standard "Number Two" design and was given a camelback roof and ornamental stickwork to distinguish it.

[2] The line was abandoned in 1964 and the former railbed was converted into the nation's first rail trail, opening in 1967.

Today, the depot serves as a trailhead for the Elroy-Sparta State Trail and houses a railroad history museum.

[3] The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.