- 1867: 16 miles completed from Ackley to Eldora, Iowa by the Eldora Railroad and Coal Company
- 1868: 27 miles completed from Eldora to Marshalltown, Iowa by the Iowa River Railway
- 1868: Eldora Railroad and Coal Company sold to the Iowa River Railway
- 1869: Iowa River Railway sold to the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1871: 65 miles completed from Northwood to Ackley, Iowa by the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1871: 81 miles completed from Marshalltown to Albia, Iowa by the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1878: Central Railroad Company of Iowa sold to Central Iowa Railway
- 1882: 98 miles completed from Oskaloosa to the Mississippi River across from Keithsburg, Illinois by the Chicago, Burlington & Pacific Railroad
- 1882: CB&P sold to the Central Iowa Railway
- 1883: 83 miles completed from Keithsburg to Peoria, Illinois by the Central Iowa Railway Company
- 1886: Mississippi River Bridge completed at Keithsburg by the Keithsburg Bridge Company
- 1889: Central Iowa Railway sold to the Iowa Central Railway
- 1895: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1901: Iowa Central Railway controlled by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1901: Keithsburg Bridge Company sold to the Iowa Central Railway
- 1912: Iowa Central Railway sold to the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- Ca. 1920: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway
- 1960: Minneapolis & St. Louis purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1962: Beacon, Iowa to Eddyville, Iowa segment abandoned, operations begin over parallel Rock Island tracks
- 1971: Oskaloosa, Iowa to Keithsburg, Illinois segment abandoned
- 1976: Keithsburg, Illinois to Middle Grove, Illinois segment abandoned
- 1988: Hampton, Iowa to Ackley, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1990: Rockwell, Iowa to Sheffield, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1995: C&NW purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 2001: Eddyville, Iowa to Albia, Iowa segment abandoned
- 2001: Sheffield, Iowa to Hampton, Iowa segment abandoned
- 2006: Ackley, Iowa to Marshalltown, Iowa segment sold to the Iowa River Railroad
- 2008: Middle Grove, Illinois to Peoria, Illinois segment abandoned
- 2011: Steamboat Rock, Iowa to Marshalltown, Iowa abandoned and purchased by Marshall and Hardin Counties
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Oskaloosa Subdivision between Marshalltown and Eddyville
- 2006-Present: Iowa River Railroad operates between Ackley and Steamboat Rock
- 2011-Present: Iowa River Rail Trail being developed between Steamboat Rock and Marshalltown
12/03/21
Located in Eddyville, this large through truss bridge crosses the Des Moines River.
Built in 1900 to replace a previous, lighter bridge, this bridge features seven spans of 6-panel, riveted Warren Through Truss with A-Frame portals. In addition, the bridge is approached by trestle spans and a single I-Beam span, which also likely dates to the same era. The bridge rests on stone, concrete and timber substructures.
The bridge has a number of missing plaques. The builders on the trusses are unknown, although the approach plaque appears to be for American Bridge Company.
When constructed, until 1964, this bridge was actually much longer. It included another older truss to the south, and significantly more trestle.
The bridge shows features of being very heavy, possibly too heavy for the 1901 reported build date. However, numerous bridges along this line were built heavy around the same time, indicating a correct build date.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with little serious deterioration.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design and large size.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | C&NW Des Moines River Bridge |
| Downstream | BNSF Four Mile Bridge |