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| Name | NPR Forest 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 | 140 Feet Total, 30 Foot Spans |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 10 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Steel Stringer and Timber Pile Trestle |
| Substructure Design | Timber Pile |
| Date Built | c. 1910 |
| 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 Forest River, this steel stringer bridge crosses the Forest River. Built in approximately 1910, the bridge consists of a pair of 30-foot steel stringer spans, approached by timber pile trestle on either end. The entire bridge rests on timber substructures. In addition, large wooden ice breakers protect the main piers of the bridge. 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 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 |