This railroad line was built by the Park Rapids and Leech Lake Railroad. Construction began at Park Rapids in 1897, and was completed to Cass Lake in 1899. That same year, the line was leased to the Great Northern Railroad.
Today, the right-of-way serves as the Heartland State Trail, one of the first rail-to-trail projects in the country.
Towns along the line:
- Park Rapids
- Dorset
- Nevis
- Akeley
- Walker
- Leech Lake
- Wilkinson
- Cass Lake
