The arrival of the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railroad in 1889 was a major factor in the economic development of Mercer’s isolated logging settlement. Timber and other natural resources could then be shipped year round to markets, while needed equipment and supplies reached the area quickly and cheaply by rail. Mercer’s early pioneers arrived by boxcar with all their worldly goods, built sawmills, blacksmith shops, and homes, and turned the logging settlement into a community. Built in 1905, the Mercer depot is the only remaining railroad depot in Iron County. For many years it was the heart of the community, as trains brought family, friends, supplies, and tourists seeking a northwoods getaway, along with freight for logging camps, which were taken onward by horse-drawn carts called drays to outlying resorts. Townsfolk boarded trains for Hurley and Ironwood for shopping trips, and the postmaster collected the morning mail there. In 1982, the last train came through Mercer, highway transportation replaced rail travel, and the rails were removed, ending an era. The depot has since been restored to turn-of-the-century quaintness and houses a collection of railroad and northwoods memorabilia and the Mercer Historic Society.