The arrival of the railroad in 1870 was pivotal to the founding and economic growth of Imlay City. Its original wooden depot was built that year for the Port Huron and Lake Michigan Railroad and had separate waiting rooms for men and women. The PH&LM later became the Chicago & Grand Trunk, Grand Trunk Railroad, and GTW (Western), and since 1987 the line has been operated by the Canadian National Railway system across Michigan's southern Lower Peninsula. In early 1872, passenger traffic at the station was reported at 4,000 tickets sold annually for travel from Port Huron to Imlay City, with as many as four eastbound and four westbound trains each day. After a fire in 1917, the partial ruins of the original depot were used for ten years until a new sturdy brick depot was built in 1927 by the Ellington Miller Company of Chicago for $11,667. Passenger trains made regular stops in Imlay City for 101 years, ending in 1971, after which the depot was used for storage by GTW. It then stood vacant for a few years until 1976, when the City of Imlay City negotiated with GTW and obtained a 99-year lease on the building and property. In 1978, the city leased the building to the Imlay City Historical Commission for use as a museum, with restoration and repairs carried out by volunteers. In 1988, the city reached an agreement with GTW to purchase the building and property for $5,000, and it continues to be leased to the Imlay City Historical Commission for use as a public museum. The depot is listed on the State Register of Historic Sites.