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| Name | Northern Pacific Railway Bridge #95 NP Red River Bridge |
| Built By | Northern Pacific Railway |
| Currently Owned By | City of Grand Forks |
| Superstructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 648 Feet |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 20 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Warren Through Truss, Pratt Through Truss, Deck Plate Girder and Timber Trestle |
| Substructure Design | Stone Masonry and Timber Pile |
| Date Built | 1917, using an 1883 truss span |
| Date Removed | 2000 |
| Original Location (East Truss) | Unknown |
| Traffic Count | 0 Trains/Day (Bridge has been Removed) |
| Current Status | Removed with center pier remaining |
| Northern Pacific Railway Bridge Number | 95 |
| Significance | Moderate Significance |
| Documentation Date | 7/7/2012 |
In 1886, the Duluth and Manitoba Railroad Company began construction on 201 miles of new railroad, extending from Manitoba Junction, east of Hawley, Minnesota; to the Canadian border north of Pembina, North Dakota. Construction would be completed the following year. By 1898, the Duluth and Manitoba would be sold to the Northern Pacific Railway (NP), which had built and acquired a large amount of railroad lines in Minnesota. The NP operated this as a secondary route, connecting the grain markets of northwest Minnesota, northeast North Dakota and Winnipeg to the Twin Cities. In 1970, NP would merge with rival Great Northern Railway and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). The segment from Carthage Junction, Minnesota to Crookston would be abandoned in 1973, in favor of the parallel former Great Northern route to the south. In 1980, the segment between Joliette and Pembina would be abandoned, with further abandonments coming in 1983 between Honeyford, North Dakota and East Grand Forks; and Ulen and Fertile, Minnesota. 1996, BN merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway. BNSF would promptly sell the Crookston to Fertile segment to the Minnesota Northern Railroad, which abandoned the line later in 1996. In 2001, the segment between Honeyford and Voss was sold to the Mohall Central Railroad, which operated the route with the Northern Plains Railroad (NPR). In 2006, the segment between Grafton and Voss would be abandoned. Today, BNSF operates the Manitoba Junction to Ulen segment as part of the Staples Subdivision, and the Grafton to Joliette segment as the Drayton Subdivision. NPR continues to operate the Honeyford to Voss segment as the Gilby Subdivision. The Crookston to Ulen segment is now part of the Agassiz Recreational Trail.
Once located just north of DeMers Avenue, this unique swing bridge once carried the Northern Pacific Railway across the Red River of the North. The first bridge here was built in 1887, and consisted of a timber swing span, approached by timber through truss spans and trestle spans, set onto stone and timber piers. The bridge was rebuilt in-kind in 1902. By 1917, the bridge had become too light for traffic and it was required to be replaced with a steel bridge. A 213-foot 7-panel Warren through truss swing span was installed to replace the main span. A 126-foot 6-panel Pratt through truss was constructed on the east approach, and four timber pile trestle spans were also constructed. This truss was reportedly originally fabricated in 1883 at an unknown location, and was strengthened prior to being installed here. On the west end, a 70-foot deck plate girder and 10 timber pile trestle spans were installed. The center pier of the bridge would reuse the 1887 stone pier, while the remainder of the substructures were constructed of timber pile.
Large bridges like this oftentimes were constructed at different times, often to save costs. This particular bridge was located on a branch line, and was a good candidate to reuse an older iron span. After abandonment of the railroad, the bridge was converted into a pedestrian trail. Unfortunately, this bridge reportedly contributed to the effects of the 1997 Flood, and the bridge was removed in 2000. The center stone pier was retained as a historic monument. Unfortunately, Minnesota and North Dakota have relatively small populations of truss spans, and the demolition of this bridge removed one of relatively few unique truss bridges in this area. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.
Citations
| Build Date | St. Paul Division Bridge Book at the Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association Archives |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |