RCP&E Beaver Creek Bridge (Buffalo Gap)

Buffalo Gap, Custer County, South Dakota

Default pic
Looking north
Looking north
Pier
South span
North span
South abutment
Overview
Stamp
Stenciling
Looking south
Looking south
Looking south
Looking south

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Default Pic
Looking north
Looking north
Pier
South span
North span
South abutment
Overview
Stamp
Stenciling
Looking south
Looking south
Looking south
Looking south
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Date Taken:
Author:
Caption:
Name RCP&E Beaver Creek Bridge (Buffalo Gap)
Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge #H-102
Built By Chicago & North Western Railway
Currently Owned By Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad
Superstructure Contractor American Bridge Company (Gary Plant)
Substructure Contractor M.F. Morrissey Company of Chadron, Nebraska
Length 80 Feet Total, 40 Foot Spans
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 5 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design Concrete
Date Built 1910
Traffic Count 2 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge Number H-102
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date 7/15/2017

In 1885, the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Rail Road Company (FE&MV) began construction on a 240 mile railroad line, extending from Valentine, Nebraska to Rapid City, South Dakota.  Work would be completed in 1886.  The following year, an additional 30 miles would be constructed from Rapid City, to Whitewood, South Dakota.  An additional 21 miles would be constructed to Belle Fourche, South Dakota in 1890.  The FE&MV would be reorganized in 1891, and sold to the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) in 1903.  The C&NW had constructed and acquired a large number of railroad lines throughout the Midwest, and this line was one of the westernmost lines.

With the discovery of high quality bentonite nearby, the line would be extended 18 miles to Colony, Wyoming in 1948.  This line served as a secondary route for the C&NW, connecting numerous industrial and agricultural branches in western South Dakota.  In 1995, the line between Chadron and Colony would be sold to the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E).  The DM&E would be purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) in 2008.   In 2014, the DM&E entered into an agreement with the Genesee & Wyoming owned Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad (RCP&E) to sell 670 miles of track. Today, RCP&E operates the segment between Chadron and Colony as the Black Hills Subdivision.

Located in Buffalo Gap, this bridge is one of a number of similar bridges in the area. The first bridge here was a timber pile trestle. In 1910, that bridge would be replaced with a pair of 40-foot deck plate girder spans, set on concrete substructures. The Gary Plant of the American Bridge Company would fabricate the steel, and M.F. Morrissey Company of Chadron, Nebraska would construct the substructures. Unlike some railroads, the C&NW often opted to contract masonry work for their bridges. This design of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, with some deterioration noted throughout the substructures. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Citations

Builder and build date American Bridge Company stenciling
Builder (Substructure) Stamp
Railroad History Citation ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele