The railroad would reach Mason City by 1869, creating a vital link from Central Iowa to the Mississippi River.
In 1869, the McGregor & Missouri River Railway Company continued building the mainline from Mason City, heading west. They reached Algona by the end of the year, and halted construction.
The McGregor & Missouri River Railway was purchased by the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway in 1870, which was in turn absorbed into the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway in 1874.
The line continued west in 1878, and reached Canton, South Dakota by 1880. The line met at the junction of another north-south line here.
The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway was spun into the Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific Railway in 1913, after the pacific expansion.
The line was vital to the Northern Iowa economy, crossing a wide variety of other lines. In Sheldon and Algona, it crossed Chicago & North Western lines, while at Emmetsburg it crossed a Rock Island Line.
Eventually, the route fell into disrepair west of Sheldon, and the Milwaukee Road hit bankruptcy. During the mass abandonments, 791 Miles in Iowa were abandoned. From Sheldon, west to Canton was part of these.
When the Soo Line purchased the Milwaukee Road in 1985, the line from Marquette to Sheldon was sold to I&M Rail Link in 1997, during a mass selloff of Milwaukee Road lines.
The I&M Rail Link became part of the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railway in 2002, which was purchased by the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railway the same year.
In October of 2008, the DM&E was purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway, who is the current owners of this line, but DM&E operates as a dependant subsidiary.
06/26/21
Located east of Mason City at a small whistle stop known as Portland, this small pony truss bridge crosses the Winnebago River.
Reportedly designed by F.B. Walker and opened in August of 1908, the bridge features a single 6-panel, pin connected Pratt Pony Truss. The bottom chord has a sag in it, intentionally designed. This bridge rests on stone and concrete substructures.
It is unknown if this bridge is older than 1908, although it seems possible. Oftentimes, railroads reused spans were still good to save money. That could've been the situation here as well.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The structure was accessed by asking permission from the local farmers co-op.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | Norris Park Rail Bridge |
| Downstream | Fossil Prairie Park Trail Bridge |