This beautiful bridge crosses the S. Branch Root River near Old Barn Resort in rural Fillmore County.
Built in 1882 at Bridge #Z-312 (Rock River; Byron, Illinois), this bridge is one of four spans known to have been reused when that bridge was replaced in 1905. Other spans continue to exist at Fayette, Iowa and Downsville, Wisconsin. A fourth span was sent to Good Thunder, Minnesota; prior to being replaced by the current bridge. The current disposition of that span is unknown, but it has likely been scrapped.
When the bridge was moved here, it was shortened by removing the skewed end. It is believed that this span was one of the end spans of the Byron Bridge.
Relocation was a common technique used to save money for railroads. Other bridges on this division have showed to be some extremely unique trusses, with approximately 10 built in Fillmore and Houston Counties.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. Recent repairs should preserve the bridge for years to come.
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | MILW Root River Bridge |
| Downstream | Root River Trail Bridge #2 |