Brainerd Shop Dogs : A History of Northern Pacific Railroad Workers

An amazing piece of Brainerd’s proud past

For over eighty years, the Northern Pacific Railroad Shops was the largest employer in the Brainerd area. After the Depression, the NP provided steady jobs for Brainerd railroad workers, whose paychecks contributed to the growth of Brainerd. The NP Shops built freight cars and conducted maintenance and disassembly of the NP’s rolling stock. The workforce of several trades called themselves “shop dogs.” Shop dogs built a workplace culture with its own jokes, stories, ethics, and nicknames – an unintended circumstance could result in a nickname, such as Scoop Swanson or the Soo Line Bull, that stuck to a shop dog for the rest of his life. After shop dogs retired and the NP shops closed, their nicknames and stories live on. Author Bob Roscoe gathers the stories from this vital piece of Brainerd history.

Robert Roscoe has more than thirty-five years of architectural office experience. His education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in art history and five years at the School of Architecture, University of Minnesota. He was a partner in the architectural firm Roark, Kramer & Roscoe Design for fifteen years and has also served for twenty-one years on the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission.