BNSF Galena Trail Road Bridge

In 1868, the Ogle and Carroll County Railroad (O&CC) began construction on 16 miles of new railroad, extending from Rochelle to Oregon, Illinois.  In early 1869, the Chicago and Iowa Railroad Company (C&I) began construction on a 45-mile section of new railroad to connect Aurora, Illinois with the line at Rochelle.  The O&CC merged into the C&I in 1871.  The Aurora to Rochelle segment would be completed in 1871, and the portion to Oregon completed in 1873.  At Aurora, the railroad connected to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad mainline.  The CB&Q had begun to construct and acquire a large network of railroads through the Midwest.  Because the CB&Q was affiliated with the railroads owned by James J. Hill in Minnesota, a connection between the two systems was desired.  Between 1883 and 1886, the Chicago, Burlington & Northern Railroad (CB&N) constructed 330 miles of new railroad, extending from Oregon, Illinois to Savanna, Illinois; then north along the Mississippi River through La Crosse, Wisconsin; to St. Paul, Minnesota.  The CB&N and C&I would both be sold to the CB&Q in 1899.  By the early 20th Century, traffic had significantly increased on the northern portion of the line.  Double tracking projects were begun in 1910, with the entirety of the Savanna to La Crosse line double tracked by 1916.  North of La Crosse, short sections were double tracked in the 1910s, but the majority was constructed between 1927 and 1929.  This route served as a principal mainline for the CB&Q, providing a connection to the transcontinental lines of the Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway.  In 1970, the CB&Q was merged with the Northern Pacific Railway and the Great Northern Railway to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN).  In 1996, BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway.  BNSF currently operates the Aurora Subdivision between Aurora and La Crosse, and the St. Croix Subdivision between La Crosse and St. Paul.  The line continues to serve as a critical mainline for BNSF, and makes up a portion of the northern BNSF transcontinental route.