Located to the west of Fort Pierre is a unique truss with an equally unique back story.
While South Dakota may have a number of Quadrangular Through Truss bridges, few have a relocation history.
Many frugal railroads believed heavily in relocating bridges from main lines to branch lines as a form of recycling. When a bridge at Winona, Minnesota was replaced in 1927 and 1928, 11 truss spans would be relocated to the Black Hills Division.
This span is believed to have originally been constructed in Winona in 1885. It is a prime example of a "Winona Type A" span.
Featuring a slight skew, a pedimented portal bracings and significantly more vertical endposts, five of these spans were originally constructed at Winona.
Measuring in at 159 Feet 8 Inches long, approximately 10 similar spans exist or have existed along the Black Hills Division of the C&NW. Interestingly enough, the Winona bridge only produced five spans of this design, meaning several more were relocated from other locations.
While purely speculative, the author believes the other identical spans were located along the Iowa Division. This span has been able to be confirmed as a Winona span, due to the slight skew on one end.
When erected here in 1928, the bridge replaced an earlier wooden Howe Truss, constructed in 1907.
Currently, the bridge sits on steel tube substructures and is approached by trestle spans on either side.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. During the Canadian Pacific days, the bridge was rehabilitated by replacing some rivets.
Identical trusses in the region include the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 9th and 14th crossings of the Bad River, as well as a bridge at Wasta.
The author has ranked this bridge as being highly significant, due to the relocation history and age.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from nearby roads.
| Upstream | RCP&E Bad River Bridge #12 |
| Downstream | RCP&E Bad River Bridge #14 |