logo

Hoboken Creek Trail Bridge

Stone Arch Bridge over Hoboken (Hazel) Creek
Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minnesota

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Hoboken Creek Trail Bridge
Built By St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Minnesota DNR
Length 12 Feet Total
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Stone Arch
Substructure Type Stone Masonry
Date Built 1888
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
Significance Local Significance


This small stone arch bridge crosses Hoboken Creek in Sauk Centre. Official railroad records list the creek as "Hazel Creek".
Built in 1888, this bridge replaced an older wooden trestle. This structure consists of a single stone arch span. A portion of the south face was lined with a concrete pad in 1921. The north face remains unaltered.
It is said Sinclair Lewis, the famed writer who came from Sauk Centre and wrote such works as "Main Street" played in this arch as a child.
In addition, his initials are scratched in it, and he nearly drown in the pool of water.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition with little visible structural defects.

The author has ranked the bridge as locally significant due to the notoriety received from Sinclair Lewis, and the overall historic nature of the structure.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Great Northern Railway Bridge Records at the Minnesota Historical Society
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele