Dakota Rail Trail - Seton Channel Bridge

In 1881, the Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company (StPM&M) constructed a 6 mile railroad spur, extending from Wayzata, Minnesota to Spring Park, Minnesota. During the 1880s, the StPM&M was building, acquiring and funding significant railroad construction throughout Minnesota. In 1887, the Minneapolis, Lyndale and Minnetonka Railway Company (WM&SP) constructed a new 55 mile railroad extending from Hutchinson Junction, Minnesota to Hutchinson, Minnesota. At Hutchinson Junction, the line branched off the StPM&M main line, heading west through Hopkins and Excelsior. The company was purchased by the StPM&M soon after completion. The StPM&M was controlled by railroad magnate James J. Hill, who sought to build a railroad network to the West Coast. By 1901, the StPM&M built an 8 mile connection between St. Bonifacius and Spring Park, abandoning the old route between St. Bonifacius and Hopkins.

The StPM&M would be purchased by Great Northern Railway (GN) in 1907. The GN was another Hill controlled railroad, and the purchase created a vast railroad network extending from the Twin Cities to the West Coast. This route was never operated as more than a spur route, serving various industries in rural Hennepin, Carver and McLeod Counties. The segment between Hutchinson Junction and Hopkins was abandoned in In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). BN leased operations of this line to Dakota Rail in 1985, and Dakota Rail was purchased by RailAmerica in 1995. In 2001, RailAmerica abandoned the route, selling the right-of-way to the three counties. The Dakota Rail Trail has been developed over the railroad between Lester Prairie and Wayzata, and the North Cedar Lake Trail utilizes portions of the former railroad between Hopkins and Hutchinson Junction. The remaining segment between Lester Prairie and Hutchinson has yet to be developed into the Dakota Rail Trail.