C&NW Rock Creek Tributary Bridge

In 1884, the Ottumwa, Cedar Falls & St. Paul Railway (OCF&StP) constructed 62 miles of new railroad, extending from an existing Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) mainline at Belle Plaine, Iowa to Muchakinock, Iowa (located south of Oskaloosa, Iowa).  The OCF&StP was sold to the C&NW upon completion of the line in October 1884.  Between 1899 and 1900, the Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern Railway (IM&NW) constructed an additional 166 miles of railroad, extending from Mason City, Iowa to Belle Plaine.  At Mason City, this line was extended north to connect to an additional C&NW mainline at Sanborn, Minnesota.  The IM&NW became part of the C&NW upon completion of the line in June 1900.  In 1901, the Southern Iowa Railway (SIR) constructed 22 additional miles of main track, connecting the existing line at Stark, Iowa to Buxton, Iowa.  In addition, the SIR constructed several short spurs to serve various coal mines in the area.  The SIR was purchased by the C&NW upon completion of the lines in June 1901.  Between 1913 and 1914, the Iowa Southern Railway (ISR) constructed an additional 12 miles of main track and associated spurs between Miami, Iowa and Consol, Iowa. The ISR was leased by the C&NW in 1914, and formally purchased by the C&NW in 1920.

By the early 20th Century, the C&NW had grown into a large midwestern railroad, operating a sprawling railroad network which radiated north and west from Chicago.  The line between Mason City and Belle Plaine served as a connecting line, linking C&NW mainlines and branch lines in Minnesota and Iowa.  The C&NW used the lines south of Belle Plaine to reach the rich coal fields of south central Iowa.  Dozens of spurs were constructed to reach various mines, which were mainly operated by the Consolidated Coal Company.  By the early 1930s, coal mining in the region began to diminish due to exhaustion of resources, outsourcing and C&NW access to higher quality coal fields in southern Illinois.  In 1935, the line and all associated branches south of What Cheer, Iowa were abandoned, and the small mining communities virtually vanished.  Another segment of the line between Belle Plaine and What Cheer was abandoned in 1958.  In 1970, a segment between Clutier, Iowa and Belle Plaine was abandoned, followed by segment between Kesley, Iowa and Dike, Iowa in 1975.  The segment between Buckingham, Iowa and Clutier was abandoned in 1976.  Further abandonments came in 1982, when the segment between Mason City and Kesley was removed, followed by the segment between Hicks, Iowa and Buckingham in 1983 and between Hicks and Dike in 1988.  Today, very little remains of this line, and much of the right-of-way has been plowed under for farm fields.