Population (2010)
Unincorporated
History
When a railroad spur was built in 1877 to connect the tracks along the Mississippi River with Waukon, Iowa, this area was transformed from wilderness into, well, something just a little less wild. The community that grew around the spur was first called Adams Junction, in honor of the president of the Waukon Railroad, D.W. Adams. After the tracks were laid, a few houses were built, a post office was established, and the name of the village was changed to Waukon Junction.
A hotel went up where you could get two meals and a bed for $1.35. The hotel burned down in the 1920s and was not rebuilt; by the mid-1940s, Waukon Junction was no longer a rail stop and the track to Waukon abandoned; part of it is now a hiking trail through Yellow River State Forest.
**Looking for more places to visit along the Mississippi River? Check out Road Tripping Along the Great River Road, Vol. 1. Click the link above for more. Disclosure: This website may be compensated for linking to other sites or for sales of products we link to.
Where to Go Next
Heading upriver? Check out Harpers Ferry.
Heading downriver? Check out Effigy Mounds National Monument.
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If you like the content at the Mississippi Valley Traveler, please consider showing your support by making a one-time contribution or by subscribing through Patreon. Book sales don’t fully cover my costs, and I don’t have deep corporate pockets bankrolling my work. I’m a freelance writer bringing you stories about life along the Mississippi River. I need your help to keep this going. Every dollar you contribute makes it possible for me to continue sharing stories about America’s Greatest River!
©Dean Klinkenberg, 2009,2018
