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| Name | Soo Line Trail - Mississippi River Bridge Blanchard Dam Railroad Bridge |
| Built By | Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad |
| Currently Owned By | Morrison County Regional Rail Authority |
| Superstructure Contractor | Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Substructure Contractor | Unknown |
| Length | 650 Feet Total, 130 Foot Spans |
| Width | 1 Track |
| Height Above Ground | 40 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Type | Warren deck truss |
| Substructure Type | Concrete |
| Date Built | 1908 |
| Traffic Count | 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail) |
| Current Status | Open to trail traffic |
| Significance | Regional Significance |
| Documentation Date | 11/23/2012 |
In 1907, the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway (Soo Line) began construction on a new railroad line, extending from the existing mainline at Brooten, Minnesota; to the Twin Ports city of Duluth, Minnesota. The first 87 miles were completed by the end of 1908, with the remaining 100 miles completed in 1909. The Soo Line was a smaller railroad in the Midwest, with routes extending through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and North Dakota. It was operated as a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway (CP). This route became a critical connection for the Soo Line, providing a connection between the existing mainline at Brooten and the industries at Duluth. 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. The segment from Genola to Superior was abandoned in 1990. The segment from Genola to Boyleston was purchased by MNDOT and Douglas County, Wisconsin and converted to the Soo Line Trail. The remainder of the route would be abandoned in 1996, and purchased by Morrison and Stearns Counties for trail use. Today, much of the route has been converted to the Soo Line Trail, and further work is being done in Stearns County to convert the railroad to the Dairyland Trail.
Located northwest of Royalton, this large deck truss bridge carries the Soo Line Trail across the Mississippi River. Originally built in 1908, the bridge features five large riveted, 5-panel Warren deck truss spans, set onto large concrete substructures. This style deck truss appears to have been the Soo Line standard during the 1906 to 1912 era, with other examples seen at Minneapolis, Minnesota and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It is believed that like those bridges, the Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company built this bridge.
In 2006, the bridge was converted to a pedestrian trail by adding wooden planks and railings over the existing railroad ties. Some repairs have been made to the bridge since then, and it is a popular part of the Soo Line Trail. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with significant deterioration seen on the concrete substructures, but minimal deterioration noted on the superstructure. A 2022 inspection shows significant spalling and map cracking on the substructures, but only minor pack rust on the trusses. The author has rated this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the excellent example of a deck truss in a part of Minnesota with relatively few truss bridges.
Mississippi River Railroad Bridges
| Upstream Display | BNSF Mississippi River Bridge (Little Falls, South) |
| Downstream Display | St. Cloud Rail Bridge |
Citations
| Build Date | Completion of line |
| Contractor | Presumed based on other identical spans |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |