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| Name | NPR North Marais River Bridge |
| Built By | Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad |
| Currently Owned By | Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (Owner) Northern Plains Railroad (Operator) |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 220 Feet Total, 45 Foot Main Span |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 15 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Deck Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle |
| Substructure Design | Timber Pile |
| Date Built | c. 1905 |
| Traffic Count | 2 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 8/11/2020 |
In 1905, the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line) began construction on a 297 mile agricultural branch line extending from Thief River Falls, Minnesota to Kenmare, North Dakota. The route would be completed that year. The Soo Line was building a number of agricultural branch lines throughout Minnesota and North Dakota, primarily to connect wheat crops with the markets at Minneapolis. The Soo Line was a smaller railroad in the Midwest, with routes extending through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Dakota, with subsidiary routes extending to Chicago. It was operated as a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). By 1937, the Soo Line had entered bankruptcy, and it would be reorganized as the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad in 1944.
By 1961, the Soo Line would be merged with other CP subsidiaries Duluth,
South Shore & Atlantic Railroad and Wisconsin Central Railroad to
form Soo Line Railroad, a company controlled by CP. In 1984, the Soo
Line would be reorganized as the Soo Line Corporation, and the railroad
would be fully merged into CP in 1990. In 1997, CP would lease the route to the Northern Plains Railroad (NPR). The segment between Kramer, North Dakota and Bisbee, North Dakota would be abandoned in 2009. In 2023, CP would merge with Kansas City Southern Railway to form CPKC. NPR continues to operate the remainder of this route, which is still owned by CPKC.
Located west of Oslo, Minnesota; this deck plate girder bridge crosses the North Marais River. Built in approximately 1905, the bridge consists of a single 45-foot deck plate girder span, approached by timber pile trestle on either end. The entire bridge rests on timber substructures. This design of bridge was commonly used by railroads throughout the United States, as it was durable and easy to construct. It is currently unknown if the girder span was originally built at this location, or if it was moved from another location. Railroads often reused spans from one location to another. This provided a economic way to construct bridges along branch lines. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |