The “Luce Line” or “Electric Short Line Railway” was built by Colonel William Luce from downtown Minneapolis, through the countryside, and continuing on to Gluek in west central Minnesota. The original intent of the line was to capture the farm-to-market traffic originating in central Minnesota and to provide transportation for people to downtown Minneapolis via electrically-propelled trains. However, due to budgetary constraints, no overhead electric trolley wires were ever constructed. During its entire lifetime, the “Luce Line” operated with gasoline-electric rail coaches for its passenger trains. Freight cars were pulled by either the gas-electric coaches or conventional steam and in later years, diesel locomotives.

In 1960, the Minneapolis and St. Louis, along with the Luce Line, was purchased by the Chicago Northwestern Railroad. Rail traffic in general was declining. With reduced revenues and maintenance difficulties, the Luce Line was no longer efficient competition with trucks. The Chicago Northwestern abandoned the line from Hutchinson west to Gluek in 1967. Five years later, the remaining track from Hutchinson eact to Highway 494 in Plymouth was removed.

In 1975, the DNR acquired a major portion of the right-of-way. The original acquisition of 104 miles of the trail cost $400,000, half from state funds and half from the Federal Bureau of Outdoor Recreation Land and Water Conservation Fund (LAWCON). By the end of 1977, all but about three miles of right-of-way had been acquired.