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Snake Creek Trail Bridge (West)

Steel Stringer Trestle Bridge over Snake Creek
Mineola, Mills County, Iowa

Click the Photo Above to See All Photos of This Bridge!
Name Snake Creek Trail Bridge (West)
Built By Wabash Railroad
Contractor Unknown
Currently Owned By Iowa DNR
Length 154 Feet Total, 44 Foot Main Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Type Steel Stringer
Substructure Type Timber Pile
Date Built Ca. 1935
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Rails to Trails
Wabash Bridge Number 1272
NW Bridge Number 397.18
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date November 2020


Located in Mineola, this steel stringer bridge is the western crossing of Snake Creek on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail, located along Barrus Road.
Little is known about the history of the bridge. According to Wabash Railroad records, the original bridge at this location was a pile and frame trestle, built in 1898.
Currently, the bridge consists of 6 I-Beam spans, set onto timber piles. This type of bridge was a common substitute for a normal trestle. Many of these types of bridges were built in the 1930s and 1940s along this route.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no major deterioration noted.

The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date Estimated
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele