Tri-County Corridor Trail - Bay City Creek Bridge

In 1872, the Wisconsin Central Railway (WC) began constructing a line to connect Stevens Point, Wisconsin and the port city of Ashland, Wisconsin.  Construction began on both ends, with 36 miles between Ashland and Penokee, Wisconsin completed in 1872.  In 1874, 100 miles were completed between Stevens Point and Worcester, Wisconsin.  From 1876 to 1877, 56 additional miles were completed between Worcester to Penokee, connecting the two lines.  The WC was reorganized as the Wisconsin Central Railroad (WC) in 1871, which was again reorganized as the Wisconsin Central Railway (WC) in 1899. This line provided WC with access to Lake Superior at Ashland, where an ore dock would be constructed.  In addition, this line also allowed the development of a line heading west towards the Twin Cities from Abbotsford, Wisconsin.  At Stevens Point, the line continued south, connecting to industries along Lake Winnebago, as well as to Chicago.

In 1909, the WC would be leased by the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line), which itself was controlled by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). The Soo Line had constructed a large network of railroads, connecting the Upper Midwest with Canadian Railroads.  After a new cutoff was completed between Spencer, Wisconsin and Owen, Wisconsin in 1910, Chicago to Twin Cities traffic was mostly routed off of this line.  Throughout the early 20th Century, this line remained a mainline for the Soo Line, which owned sprawling terminal facilities in Ashland.  In 1961, the WC would be merged with other CP subsidiaries Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad and the Soo Line to form Soo Line Railroad, a company controlled by CP.  In 1984, the Soo Line would be reorganized as the Soo Line Corporation in advance of a pending purchase of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road).

In 1987, this line would be sold to Wisconsin Central, Ltd. (WC).  Known as the "new" Wisconsin Central, the railroad acquired several excess rail lines from the Soo Line, Milwaukee Road and Chicago & North Western Railway.  The line between Medford, Wisconsin and Prentice, Wisconsin was abandoned in 1987, and acquired for trail use.  In 2001, WC was merged into Canadian National Railway (CN), becoming the American subsidiary of CN.  In approximately 2010, the segment between Park Falls, Wisconsin and Ashland would be placed out of service, due to flood damage.  In 2021, CN sold several excess and low profit lines to the Fox Valley & Lake Superior Rail System (FOXY), including the two remaining segments of this line.  Currently, FOXY operates the Spencer to Medford segment, while the Prentice to Ashland segment remains out of service.  A trail currently uses the line between Medford and Prentice.