The St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad built the house. It became part of the Great Northern Railway in 1907, and continued to provide housing to railroad workers until its retirement in 1936, when it was sold to a private party. 

 

After being moved to a new foundation in DeGraff, the house was remodeled and served as a private home until being sold at auction in 2007.

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Section foreman houses were used by crews who typically maintained a five to ten mile section of track. Besides railroad workers, the section foreman’s family sometimes lived in the house.