Located near the small town of Wasta is a curiously large truss bridge, with a very unique history.
The bridge consists of two distinctive types of Through Trusses, including Quadrangular spans and Warren Spans.
While South Dakota may have a number of Quadrangular Through Truss bridges, few have a relocation history like the spans on this bridge.
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.
Featuring pedimented portal bracings and significantly more vertical endposts than other spans. These are known as a "Winona Type A" spans.
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, five of these spans came from Winona, Minnesota.
The two Quadrangular Spans have been confirmed to been relocated from Winona, based on a Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern bridge report.
The first bridge at this location was a wooden Howe Truss with deck girder spans. However, it appears that a flood destroyed this bridge in 1927, necessitating the construction of a new bridge.
A pair of the Quadrangular Through Trusses were supplemented with a pair of riveted, 6-panel Warren Through Trusses.
Currently, the bridge sits on steel tube substructures and is approached by trestle spans on either side. Along the west bank, a single deck girder span can be seen fallen into the river.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. During the Canadian Pacific days, the bridge was rehabilitated by replacing some rivets on spans #1 and #4.
Identical trusses to spans #1 and #4 in the region include the 1st, 3rd, 7th, 9th, 13th and 14th crossings of the Bad River.
The author has ranked this bridge as being highly significant, due to the relocation history and age, along with the mismatched pieces.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from a parallel road.
| Upstream | Mouth at Missouri River |
| Downstream | Abandoned Cheyenne River Bridge |