UP Willow Creek Bridge (Le Mars)

Le Mars, Plymouth County, Iowa

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Name	UP Willow Creek Bridge (Le Mars) Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge #801
Built By	Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
Currently Owned By	Union Pacific Railroad
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York
Length	266 Feet Total, 60 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	20 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Through Plate Girder and Concrete Modular Girder
Substructure Design	Steel Pile
Date Built	1938, Using a Span Fabricated c. 1915; Approaches Reconstructed c. 1995
Original Location	Unknown
Traffic Count	5 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge Number	801
Union Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	243.07
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	11/23/2019

In 1865, the Minnesota Valley Railway Company (MVR) began construction on a new railroad line between Mendota, Minnesota and St. James, Minnesota. In 1865, the first 22 miles were completed between Mendota, Minnesota and Merriam Junction, Minnesota; followed by 17 additional miles to Belle Plaine, Minnesota in 1866. In 1867, the MVR completed an additional 16 miles to Le Sueur, Minnesota; followed by 12 additional miles to Kasota, Minnesota in 1868. In 1869, the MVR completed an additional 22 miles to Lake Crystal, Minnesota. The same year, an additional 5 miles would be completed between St. Paul, Minnesota and Mendota. In 1870, the MVR would be purchased by the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad (StP&SC). 22 additional miles to St. James, Minnesota 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, Iowa.

In 1881, the StP&SC would be sold to the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway (Omaha Road). The Omaha Road would come under control of the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) the next year. The C&NW had developed a large network of railroad lines in the Midwest, with the Omaha Road serving as the northern extent of the company. This route became the main line of the Western District of the Omaha Road. Several improvements were made to the line in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. Between 1898 and 1906, several sections of the line were realigned between Blakeley, Minnesota and Mankato. In 1957, the C&NW leased the Omaha Road, and the C&NW purchased the company in 1972. The C&NW was purchased by Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in 1995. UP still operates the St. Paul to St. James segment as the Mankato Subdivision and the St. James to Sioux City segment as the Worthington Subdivision. The line remains a mainline for UP, connecting St. Paul to Sioux City and providing UP with a mainline into the Twin Cities.

Located on the north side of Le Mars, this through plate girder bridge carries the former Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway (Omaha Road) mainline over Willow Creek. The first bridge at this location consisted of a timber pile trestle, which had been periodically renewed since the line was first constructed. While many of the bridges on this line were rebuilt with steel and concrete structures in the early 20th Century, this bridge remained one of the few timber bridges remaining on this line. The Omaha Road made several upgrades to this line in the 1930s, replacing timber bridges with steel structures and filling unnecessary steel bridges. In 1938, a secondhand through plate girder span was installed on timber pile piers and approached by timber pile trestle spans on either end. The most recent alterations to the bridge came in approximately 1995, when the approaches were replaced with precast concrete modular girder spans, giving the bridge its present configuration. Currently, the bridge consists of a 60-foot through plate girder span, approached by two 26-foot precast concrete modular girder spans on the south end and six 26-foot spans on the north end. The entire bridge is set onto steel pile piers, which are capped with concrete. The main span was fabricated in approximately 1915 for use at an unknown location. This span follows a standard design, with heavy girders, a standard floor and rounded and tapered girder ends. American Bridge Company fabricated the superstructure, while railroad company forces likely constructed the substructures. Through plate girder spans were commonly used by railroads, as they were durable and easy to construct. Railroads often reused steel spans, as it provided a cost effective way to upgrade bridges without requiring large amounts of new material. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen no significant alterations, and remains in regular use. 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.

Citations

Erection date	Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway Record of Property Changes for Valuation Section Iowa-1 at the Chicago & North Western Railway Historical Society Archives
Builder (superstructure)	Missing American Bridge Company plaque
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele