Lawton North Dakota Railroad Depot Real Photo Postcard

The Great Northern Railway (G.N.) Depot in Lawton, North Dakota, represents a critical facet of early 20th-century westward expansion and community development. Lawton, like many small towns across the Great Plains, owed its existence and early growth to the arrival of the railroad, which provided the sole lifeline for passenger travel, mail delivery, and the transport of agricultural goods to markets and essential supplies back to the town. The Great Northern, spearheaded by James J. Hill, was instrumental in connecting the northern tier of the United States.