UP Le Sueur Creek Bridge

Name	UP Le Sueur Creek Bridge Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge #308
Built By	Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
Currently Owned By	Union Pacific Railroad
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	170 Feet Total, 84 Foot Spans
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Double Intersection Warren Pony Truss
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry and concrete
Date Fabricated	1881
Date Erected	1899
Original Location	Bridge #414; St. Croix River Bridge; Hudson, Wisconsin
Traffic Count	5 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	Open to Traffic
Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge Number	308
Union Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	60.95
Significance	High Significance
Documentation Date	3/31/2018

In 1865, the Minnesota Valley Railway Company began construction on a new railroad line between Mendota, Minnesota and St. James, Minnesota. The first 22 miles would be completed between Mendota and Merriam Junction in 1865, followed by 17 more miles to Belle Plaine in 1866, 16 additional miles to Le Sueur in 1867, 12 additional miles to Kasota in 1868, and 22 additional miles to Lake Crystal, Minnesota in 1869. Also in 1869, the Minnesota Valley would complete 5 additional miles from Mendota to St. Paul. In 1870, the Minnesota Valley would be purchased by the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad (StP&SC). 22 additional miles to St. James would be completed in 1870. The StP&SC completed 58 more miles from St. James to Worthington, Minnesota in 1871; and 64 additional miles to Le Mars, Iowa were completed in 1872. At Le Mars, the route connected to an existing railroad, over which the StP&SC used trackage rights to reach Sioux City.
In 1881, the StP&SC would be sold to the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway (CStPM&O), also known as the Omaha Road. The Omaha Road would come under control of the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) the next year. This route became the main line of the Western District of the Omaha Road. The Omaha Road would formally be merged into the C&NW in 1959. The C&NW would be purchased by the Union Pacific in 1995, which still operates the St. Paul to St. James segment as the Mankato Subdivision. The line continues to carry steady traffic.

Located just north of Le Sueur, this unique pony truss bridge crosses Le Sueur Creek. Originally built in 1881 as part of a long curved bridge at Hudson, Wisconsin, the old trusses from that bridge were doubled up and reused at various locations. Four of the trusses were relocated here, and two more are known to have been relocated to Clark County, Wisconsin. The bridge features a pair of 84-foot, 7-panel riveted double intersection Warren pony trusses, supported by stone and concrete substructures. When the trusses were relocated, the floor systems were reconstructed. The bridge was originally built as a four span bridge, utilizing eight of the trusses from Hudson. However, two of the spans were removed prior to 1938, and it is unknown what happened to them.

This style bridge was commonly used by the C&NW and Omaha Road during the 1880s, as opposed to a more traditional Pratt pony truss. Doubling up of trusses was occasionally done by railroads to create stronger spans, which could be reused to save on costs. However, it is relatively rare to have reused spans on a mainline, such as this bridge. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. Additional rehabilitation was completed in 1977. The author has ranked this bridge as being highly significant, due to the unique reuse of old trusses.

Build date and original locations	Chicago & North Western Valuation Notes at the Chicago & North Western Historical Society Archives
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

UP Le Sueur Creek Bridge

Le Sueur, Le Sueur County, Minnesota