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| Name | Crookston Railroad Bridge BNSF Red Lake River Bridge |
| Built By | Great Northern Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor (South Track) | Edge Moor Bridge Works of Wilmington, Delaware |
| Superstructure Contractor (North Track) | Unknown |
| Length | 185 Feet Total |
| Width | 1 Track (Formerly 2 Tracks) |
| Height Above Ground | 25 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Type | Pratt through truss |
| Substructure Type | Stone masonry |
| Date Built | 1892, widened 1906 |
| Date Removed (south track) | ca. 1930 |
| Traffic Count | 5 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | Open to Traffic |
| Great Northern Railway Bridge Number | 82.0 |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 82.0 |
| Significance | Moderate Significance |
| Documentation Date | 7/7/2012; 12/26/2017 |
In 1875, the Red River Valley Railroad Company would construct a new 12 mile line from Crookston, Minnesota to Fisher, Minnesota. In 1879, railroad magnate James J. Hill would gain control of the line, and fund a 12 mile extension to Grand Forks. After the extension was constructed, the railroad was sold to the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway Company (StPM&M). The StPM&M would acquire or build a considerable amount of trackage throughout Minnesota in the coming years. 45 miles of additional railroad were constructed between Crookston and Fosston, Minnesota in 1888. The Eastern Railway Company of Minnesota would construct an additional 99 miles of railroad from Fosston to Deer River, Minnesota. In 1907, the StPM&M and Eastern Railway Company were purchased by Great Northern Railway.
The GN operated this route as a mainline. The line continued west to Seattle and east to the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad. BN was in turn merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates the Grand Forks to Cass Lake segment of this line as the Grand Forks Subdivision.
Located in downtown Crookston, this large through truss bridge carries the BNSF across the Red Lake River. The first bridge here was a wooden bridge, likely a wooden truss. In 1892, the Great Northern spent significant capital replacing many of the wooden bridges along their mainlines. An 8-panel, pin connected Pratt through truss bridge with lattice portals would be constructed on stone abutments. In 1906, a second track was added on the north side, and a similar truss constructed with a heavier design and x-pattern portal bracing.
By the early 1930s, the second track was no longer necessary at this location. As a result, the south track was removed and possibly reused elsewhere. There are a couple of spans with similar designs along the former GN lines. In 2023, the bridge consists of a single truss span, set onto stone abutments. In addition, the plaques on the bridge are long removed. Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no major deterioration noted. The author has rated the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design. In particular, this area of Minnesota has an extremely small population of railroad truss bridges.
Citations
| Build Date | Great Northern Railway Historical Society Online Archives |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |