This locomotive was constructed in 1861 by Smith and Jackson of the New Jersey Locomotive and Machine Company of Paterson, NJ. It was named for William Crooks. The William Crooks arrived in St. Paul by steamboat on September 9, 1861. On June 28, 1862, the locomotive hauled the historic first trainload of passengers in Minnesota a distance of 10 miles between St. Paul and St. Anthony (now Minneapolis). Regular service between St. Paul and St. Anthony began on July 2, 1862. It is one of the few remaining locomotives of the Civil War period
St. Paul and Pacific 4-4-0 Locomotive No. 1
The St. Paul and Pacific was the first railroad in Minnesota, and the William Crooks was the first steam locomotive to run in the state. Eventually, the St. Paul and Pacific became the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba in 1879, and in 1890 part of the Great Northern Railway.