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| Name | CPKC Old US-10 Bridge |
| Built By | Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad |
| Currently Owned By | Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited |
| Superstructure Contractor | American Bridge Company of New York (East Span) Unknown (West Spans) |
| Substructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 155 Feet Total, 54 Foot Largest Span |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 15 Feet 4 Inches |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder |
| Substructure Design | Concrete and Steel Bent |
| Date Built | c. 1910, East Span Added 1934 |
| Traffic Count | 10 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 5/13/2017 |
In 1886, the Minneapolis and Pacific Railway (M&P) began construction on a new 216-mile railroad extending from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Lidgerwood, North Dakota, completing it the same year. The following year, 70 additional miles would be constructed to Boynton. The M&P was consolidated into the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line) in 1888. The Soo Line continued construction on the route in 1891, completing 81 miles from Hankinson, North Dakota to Valley City, North Dakota. An additional 80 miles to Cathay were completed in 1892, and an additional 183 miles to the Canadian Border and Canadian Pacific Railway connection at Portal, North Dakota was completed in 1893. The route was constructed primarily to serve as a connection for wheat from Canada and North Dakota to reach the mills at Minneapolis, and became a backbone for the Soo Line. The Soo Line was a smaller railroad in the Midwest, with routes extending through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Dakota, with subsidiary routes extending to Chicago. It was operated as a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). By 1937, the Soo Line had entered bankruptcy, and it would be reorganized as the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad in 1944. </P>
<P>By 1961, the Soo Line would be merged with other CP subsidiaries Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad and Wisconsin Central Railroad to form Soo Line Railroad, a company controlled by CP. In 1984, the Soo Line would be reorganized as the Soo Line Corporation, and the railroad would be fully merged into CP in 1990. In 1990, the line between Hankinson and Moffit, North Dakota was sold to the Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad (DMVW). In 2023, CP would merge with Kansas City Southern Railway to form CPKC, which currently operates the Paynesville Subdivision between Minneapolis and Glenwood; the Elbow Lake Subdivision between Glenwood and Enderlin, North Dakota; the Carrington Subdivision between Enderlin and Harvey, North Dakota; and the Portal Subdivision between Harvey and Portal. The DMVW continues to operate the Dakota Subdivision over the Hankinson to Mottit segment. The CPKC segment of this line is expected to grow in significance after the CPKC merger was finalized. </P>Located east of Valley City, this deck plate girder bridge crosses Old US Highway 10 (34th Street) and the former Northern Pacific Railway "low line" route through Valley City. The first bridge here was likely a wooden trestle built to cross the NP. In approximately 1910, the original bridge would be replaced by a steel deck plate girder bridge, utilizing three spans, concrete abutments and steel bent piers. In 1934, the bridge would be extended to cross US Highway 10 with a 54-foot deck plate girder span, set onto a new concrete pier and abutment. The span across the former NP (second span from the west) is exceptionally thin compared to the remaining spans, likely to maximize vertical clearance underneath. Deck plate girder bridges were utilized by railroads throughout the United States, as they were easy to construct and durable. Overall, this bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Builder and build date (east span) | American Bridge Company plaque |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |