Hanley Falls Railroad Bridge (East)

Name	Hanley Falls Railroad Bridge (East) Great Northern Railway Bridge #43.3
Built By	Great Northern Railway
Currently Owned By	BNSF Railway
Superstructure Contractor	American Bridge Company of New York (Main Span) Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of North Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Other Spans)
Substructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	208 Feet Total, 82 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	30 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry and Concrete
Date Built	1902, Additional Spans Added 1913
Traffic Count	15 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status	In Use
Great Northern Railway Bridge Number	43.3
BNSF Railway Bridge Number	43.3
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	8/26/2012

In 1887, the Willmar and Sioux Falls Railway Company (W&SF) began construction on a new 147 mile railroad line between Willmar, Minnesota and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Construction would be completed by 1888. The following year, the Sioux City and Northern Railroad (SCN) Company began construction on 96 miles of new railroad, starting at Garretson, South Dakota and extending south to Sioux City, Iowa. An additional extension would be made in 1893, when the Sioux Falls, Yankton and South Western Railway Company (SFY&SW) constructed 58 miles of new railroad to Yankton, South Dakota. The SFY&SW would be sold to the W&SF in 1893, and the SCN would be sold to the W&SF in 1900. In 1907, Great Northern Railway (GN) purchased the W&SF. GN built and acquired an extensive railroad network throughout Minnesota.

GN operated this route as a mainline. The Sioux City leg of the route provided an important and competitive connection for stock yards at Sioux City to the Twin Cities. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad. The segment between Yankton and Irene was abandoned in 1981, and the segment between Irene and Sioux Falls was abandoned in 1982. BN was in turn merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates the Marshall Subdivision over the Willmar to Sioux City segment of this line, and the Corson Subdivision over the Garretson to Sioux Falls segment of this line.

Located in Hanley Falls, this deck plate girder bridge is the eastern crossing of the Yellow Medicine River in this city. Originally built in 1902, the bridge initially featured a single 82-foot deck plate girder, set onto stone piers and approached by trestle spans. In 1913, an additional deck plate girder span would be added on the south end, and two additional spans on the north end. New concrete piers and abutments would be constructed at this time. American Bridge Company fabricated the 1902 span, while Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company fabricated the remaining spans. It is believed that the stone piers were constructed by an unknown contractor, while the concrete substructures were constructed by railroad company forces. 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.

Builder and build date	Builders Plaques
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

Hanley Falls Railroad Bridge (East)

Hanley Falls, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota