The line was completed to Minnesota City by 1870, and to Winona by 1871.
The first major feature was the crossing of the Mississippi River at Hastings, which was a swing bridge.
The road would be sold to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway in late 1871. From here, it would be extended to La Crosse, crossing the Mississippi a second time.
The road then would connect through Wisconsin to Milwaukee, which had been built many years prior.
The line was immediately considered a main line, and was treated as such. Via a third connection, it provided a direct route between the Twin Cities and Chicago.
The CM&StP rebuilt both Mississippi River Bridges in 1901, making the line even heavier engineered.
In 1928, the railroad reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific (Milwaukee Road).
The line stayed in the Milwaukee Road system throughout the entire bankruptcy, and when the Milwaukee Road collapsed in 1985, the road was purchased by the Soo Linel.
Prior to that, the Soo Line was completely controlled by Canadian Pacific. Canadian Pacific currently owns this route.
Today, it is operated as the River Subdivision.
02/25/23
This massive lift bridge is likely one of the heaviest structures over the upper Mississippi River.
The first bridge here was constructed in 1870-1871, and was a large Post Through Truss, built by the American Bridge Company of Chicago.
In 1891, the original bridge was replaced by a pair of 149' Pratt Through Truss spans, and a 297' Pratt Through Truss swing span. In addition, a long trestle approached the north end of the bridge. Some sources report that the bridge was fabricated by the railroad itself.
In 1910, the bridge was rebuilt again, replacing the two 149' spans with newer 6-panel Riveted Warren Through Trusses, and numerous deck plate girder spans were built to replace the trestle approach. The two truss spans were reused at Sauk City, Wisconsin, where they still exist today.
By 1981, the swing span had become obsolete for railroad traffic, and it was decided to rebuild it. As a result, the current vertical lift span was constructed, replacing the swing span and one truss.
The lift span itself is massive, covering 325 feet, plus an extended portion to 495 feet to cover the approaches for the towers.
On the towers, there is still a large Milwaukee Road sign, nearly 40 years after the railroad ceased to exist.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. However, the remaining historic truss may be a candidate for replacement in the future.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the remaining historic truss span.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | Rock Island Swing Bridge |
| Downstream | Reeds Landing Pontoon Bridge |