Dresser, WI

Dresser grew up in the 1880s around the Soo Line junction after farmer Sam Dresser donated land for a railroad community. It was briefly Valley Junction, then Dresser Junction, before the village shortened its name in 1940. The railroad still carries trap rock through town, linking Dresser to the quarry that has operated here since the early twentieth century; the original crushing tower burned in 1993, but Dresser Trap Rock continues to mine the volcanic basalt deposit. The old depot now welcomes Osceola and St. Croix Valley Railway excursions, while nearby Trollhaugen handles skiing, snowboarding, and tubing. Dresser is a village where rail, quarry, and four-season recreation all sit within a few miles of the same main street.