page_title: Creston, Iowa
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Creston, Iowa / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Creston old station
context_page_description: Creston is a city in, and the county seat of, Union County, Iowa, United States. The population was 7,834 at the 2010 census.
context_section_description: Creston was originally settled in 1868 as a survey camp for the workers with the Burlington and Missouri Railroad. The campsite was on the crest of the railroad line between the Missouri and Mississippi rivers, hence the name "Creston." The area was developed largely for agriculture, with related industries accompanying it. Creston had a flour mill in the early decades of the 20th century.
  Creston was chosen as the division point for the railroad (now the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe. It built machine shops, roundhouse and a construction camp in the new town. The town was officially established in 1869 and incorporated in 1871. A new railroad station was constructed by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in 1899, and the three-story structure served passengers for 69 years. Workers, including African Americans, were recruited from Chicago and other major cities to work in Creston to maintain the railroad networks. The old machine shop building was destroyed by a tornado in 1946.
  Restructuring of railroads in the mid-20th century reduced passenger service to Creston, as railroads had lost passengers to automobile travel and the widespread ownership of vehicles. The number of railroad jobs were reduced in the city, affecting its economy and population. The depot was renovated in 1978 to serve as a City Municipal Building. The remainder of the BNSF roundhouse burned down in 1981, but BNSF continued to be the major hauler of grain and coal in the region. Creston is a stop on the BNSF Railway.  Rail crews based in Creston work from Creston to Lincoln, Nebraska, and crews from Galesburg, Illinois and Lincoln stay in town while waiting for trains back to their home terminals.
  Today, Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Creston at the historic CB&Q station. It operates its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago, Illinois, and Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco.
  The former CB&Q depot was adapted to serve as Creston's City Hall. They two-story, yellow-brick structure is in the French Provincial style, with a red-tiled mansard roof. Amtrak moved into the historic station in 2019.
caption: The former CB&Q depot, constructed in 1899, now used as City Hall and Amtrak station
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