The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (M&StL), now defunct, was an American railroad that built and operated lines radiating south and west from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The railway's most important route was between Minneapolis and Peoria, Illinois; a second major route extended from Minneapolis into eastern South Dakota, and other trackage served various areas in north-central Iowa.
The M&StL was founded in 1870, and expanded through line construction and acquisition until the early 20th Century. Most of the railway's routes saw only relatively light traffic, and consequently the company's financial position was frequently precarious and the railroad operated under bankruptcy protection between 1923 and 1943.
The M&StL was acquired by the Chicago and North Western Railway in 1960, and much of its former trackage was later abandoned. While the primary business of the M&StL was the haulage of freight, the railroad also operated a limited number of passenger train services. The Minneapols and St. Louis had stops in Stratford, Nahon, and Aberdeen on its 13th subdivision between Watertown and Leola in McPherson County.
The M&StL in 1905, under the leadership of vice president and general manager L. F. Day, added lines from Watertown to LeBeau and from Conde through Aberdeen to Leola being the terminus. It developed town sites along the new lines and by 1910, the new lines served 35 small communities. Not all of the new towns survived. The M&StL situated LeBeau along the Missouri River on the eastern edge of the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. The new town was a hub for the cattle and grain industries. Livestock valued at one million dollars were shipped out in 1908, and the rail company planned a bridge across the Missouri River. Allotment of the Cheyenne River Reservation in 1909 promised further growth. By the early 1920s, however, troubles multiplied, with the murder of a local rancher, a fire that destroyed the business district, and drought that ruined ranchers and farmers alike. LeBeau became a ghost town.
There are three M&StL Depots that still exist in the Aberdeen area. The Aberdeen M&StL Depot is still located at 1108 S. Main St. SE, Aberdeen, SD and is on the National Register of historic places. The Richmond M&StL Depot was moved to Long Lake and now resides in the McPherson County museum in Leola , SD. The Nahon M&StL Depot now resides at the Brown County Fair Centennial Village.