Located north of Eddyville, but within Mahaska County, this through girder bridge is the fourth and final crossing of Muchakinock Creek.
Built in approximately 1910, this bridge features a single through girder span, set onto concrete abutments. The girder span is a massive 112 feet long.
Because of the many coal mines of this area, southern Mahaska County had a confusing railroad history. Even in 1959, this section of track is listed as Rock Island, as the Rock Island shared tracks with the M&StL for several miles.
However, abandonment records indicate the major change occurred in 1960. While M&StL and Rock Island originally had parallel lines between Oskaloosa and Eddyville, the Rock Island abandoned their tracks north of Given (near present day Kent Avenue and 295th Street), while the M&StL gave up their tracks south of Given. The original M&StL bridge was where the high voltage power lines are now, immediately west of this bridge.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, despite significant deterioration to the concrete abutments.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is a overview.