Old map question ?

[Roger Mn.]

On this map of Olmsted county ,about 1900,s . I found the word separator 3 times and underlined them in green. What was these for. I thought milk but the one in the lower left has a cheese factory near by.

 

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[Mackaydon]

What is there now may give you a clue.
What is there now?
Is the current Douglas State Trail the original rail bed for the Chicago Great Western RXR?
Don...

 

[Roger Mn.]

What is there now may give you a clue. What is there now? Is the current Douglas State Trail the original rail bed for the Chicago Great Western RXR? Don...

Yes it was the rail bed for the Chicago Great Western R R. It starts out NW Rochester and go's through Douglas and ends at Pine Island. I don't know whats there now and I wont be heading out to look until it gets warm enough to detect. I have been near by the one on the Douglas State Trail and I was only looking for the school on the map. No school there now and a house near by on the same property. I never did stop and ask to detect but maybe this year. Thanks

 

[Mackaydon]

You may wish to look at Google Earth for current aerials of those locations--and see what is there now.
Don..........

 

[Roger Mn.]

Along the Douglas Trail at the area I believe to be where the separator was located on 60th ave NW and 65th st. NW cross there is a big farm in lower right corner and just across the street on the left side of 60th ave NW is a bare spot were I think the old school was.

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.0950592,-92.5544418,898m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[Roger Mn.]

The lower left Separator is also a farm on 70th ave NW and 19th st. Go east on 19th st. NW and the long driveway going straight north is were the Cheese factory used to be.

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.043577,-92.5771368,510m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[Roger Mn.]

The last Separator at the top of the old map shows the Hwy 52 off ramp cutting right through it. ..

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.1074401,-92.5140793,1019m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

[Mackaydon]

My guess is it's the same as a CREAMERY, a cream processing location where cream is separated from milk, pasteurization is done; and its also the source of butter.
Don.....

 

[Roger Mn.]

My guess is it's the same as a CREAMERY, a cream processing location where cream is separated from milk, pasteurization is done; and its also the source of butter. Don.....

Thanks Mackaydon. I was thinking that but wasn't sure. In Rochester there was 3 separators listed, one cheese factory and in an other place on the map was creamery. I looked up separators from around 1900's and found pictures of farmers in horse and buggies hauling there milk to an old building to sell or trade it. These places got a lot of traffic and might be good detecting. Maybe the rich farmers were the only one who could afford a Separator. So that's how it was listed on the map.

 

[Helix]

Its a long shot but the camps were the workers stayed. I am not saying that's what "separator" means. Maybe a switching yard for the cars? Anyway RR camps are always a good spot. Unless your area is flat were they would lay miles of track in one day. Legal of course! Any rail line I have ever hunted is Public owned or privately owned. Out of Chicago only like 40% of all rail lines at one time still exist.