Presho Railroad Bridge (East)

Name	Presho Railroad Bridge (East) Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Bridge #W-88
Built By	Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Currently Owned By	Ringneck & Western Railroad
Superstructure Contractor	Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of North Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Length	165 Feet Total, 45 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Through Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design	Timber Pile
Date Built	1923 using a span fabricated 1913
Original Location	Bridge #R-136; Ft. Atkinson, Iowa
Traffic Count	1 Train/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Bridge Number	W-88
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	7/14/2017

With the opening to Native American Lands to development in 1905, the White River Valley Railroad (WRV) was charted to construct a railroad between Chamberlain, South Dakota and Rapid City, South Dakota. Located on the Missouri River, Chamberlain had been the western terminus of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway (Milwaukee Road) since 1881. In 1905, a pontoon bridge was built across the Missouri River, and construction began on the line. In 1906, the railroad reached Murdo, and construction reached Rapid City in 1907. The WRV was absorbed by the Milwaukee Road in 1910.

The Milwaukee Road operated this route as a secondary route, connecting cities in rural South Dakota. The Milwaukee Road was often in financial trouble, especially after the costly Pacific Extension was completed in 1909. In 1925, the company declared bankruptcy, and reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1928. As the Milwaukee Road continued to face financial turmoil, branch lines began to see deteriorated conditions. In 1980, the Milwaukee Road sought to abandon significant trackage in South Dakota, including the Sioux City to Edgeley segment. The State of South Dakota purchased the railroad line, and in 1987 the Dakota Southern Railway began operations. The line from Kadoka to Rapid City would be closed and railbanked in 1996. In 2021, the State of South Dakota sold the railroad to Watco owned Ringneck & Western Railroad, the current operators of the line. The Kadoka to Rapid City segment remains out of service.

Located in Presho, this through girder bridge is the eastern crossing of Medicine Creek. The previous bridge here was a timber trestle bridge, first constructed in 1905. Due to numerous ice jams, it was decided to rebuilt the bridge with a larger steel span. In 1923, a 45-foot type "C-3" through plate girder bridge was installed on timber piers, and trestle approaches constructed. The girder span was originally constructed at Bridge #R-136 across an unnamed creek near Ft. Atkinson, Iowa in 1923. Railroads often reused steel and iron spans, as it was a cost effective way to replace bridges along branch lines. Often, when a span was no longer needed or was not suitable at one location, it could be strengthened or altered, and installed at another location. When this span was moved here, the floor beams were altered to accommodate a skew. This particular girder span has one curved end, and one straight end. Known as a "Case I" span, this was one of dozens of similar standard spans constructed by the Milwaukee Road. Typically, two Case I spans would make up a bridge, which would use curved ends at each abutment. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Builder and build date (Main Span)	Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company plaque
Original Location	Milwaukee Road Bridge Records at the South Dakota State Historical Society
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

Presho Railroad Bridge (East)

Presho, Lyman County, South Dakota