The line is part of a former [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road, secondary built between [[Marquette, Iowa]] and [[Rapid City, South Dakota]] between 1880 and 1907.<ref name=Kalmbach>{{cite book |last=Lewis| first=Edward A.| title=American Shortline Railway Guide| year=1996| publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing]] |location=[[Waukesha, Wisconsin]] |isbn=0-89024-290-9 }}</ref> In the 1980s, at the risk of Milwaukee Road abandoning the line, the line was embargoed and subsequently purchased by the [[South Dakota Department of Transportation]], which sold the line to Watco in 2021 for $13,000,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/business/transportation/6903533-Mitchell-Rapid-City-Railroad-deal-with-Watco-gets-state-approval/|title=Mitchell-Rapid City Railroad deal with Watco gets state approval|first=Marcus|last=Traxler|date=February 24, 2021|newspaper=[[Mitchell Daily Republic]]|access-date=July 30, 2022}}</ref> The Dakota Southern Railway, first under the ownership of brothers Alex and Dick Huff <ref>{{cite news|title=State, regional leaders say Mitchell-Rapid City Railroad Authority still has a role, but critics want to see it dissolve|url=https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/state-regional-leaders-say-mitchell-rapid-city-railroad-authority-still-has-a-role-but-critics-want-to-see-it-dissolve|first=Marcus|last=Traxler|date=June 10, 2021|newspaper=Mitchell Daily Republic|access-date=July 30, 2022}}</ref> and later Mike Williams and Stan Patterson, from the late 1980s to 2021 onward operated and between 2011 and 2016 rehabilitated the line as far as Presho with Federal TIGER Grants plus state funding. Track beyond Kadoka to Rapid City has been removed.
The line is part of a former [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad]] (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road, secondary built between [[Marquette, Iowa]] and [[Rapid City, South Dakota]] between 1880 and 1907.<ref name=Kalmbach>{{cite book |last=Lewis| first=Edward A.| title=American Shortline Railway Guide| year=1996| publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing]] |location=[[Waukesha, Wisconsin]] |isbn=0-89024-290-9 }}</ref> In the 1980s, at the risk of Milwaukee Road abandoning the line, the line was embargoed and subsequently purchased by the [[South Dakota Department of Transportation]], which sold the line to Watco in 2021 for $13,000,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/business/transportation/6903533-Mitchell-Rapid-City-Railroad-deal-with-Watco-gets-state-approval/|title=Mitchell-Rapid City Railroad deal with Watco gets state approval|first=Marcus|last=Traxler|date=February 24, 2021|newspaper=[[Mitchell Daily Republic]]|access-date=July 30, 2022}}</ref> The Dakota Southern Railway, first under the ownership of brothers Alex and Dick Huff <ref>{{cite news|title=State, regional leaders say Mitchell-Rapid City Railroad Authority still has a role, but critics want to see it dissolve|url=https://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/state-regional-leaders-say-mitchell-rapid-city-railroad-authority-still-has-a-role-but-critics-want-to-see-it-dissolve|first=Marcus|last=Traxler|date=June 10, 2021|newspaper=Mitchell Daily Republic|access-date=July 30, 2022}}</ref> and later Mike Williams and Stan Patterson, from the late 1980s to 2021 operated and between 2011 and 2016 rehabilitated the line as far as Presho with Federal TIGER Grants plus state funding. Track beyond Kadoka to Rapid City has been removed.
