RWRR Rapid Creek Bridge #4

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.