Le Roy Trail Bridge

Le Roy, Mower County, Minnesota

Default pic
Looking north
Pier #2
South span (span #1)
South pier (pier #1)
Span #2
Plaque
Pier #3
Span #3
Looking north
South abutment
Overview
Looking south
North pier (pier #6)
North span (span #5)
Pier #5
Looking north
Under bridge
Looking north
South abutment and approach
Looking north
Overview

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Default Pic
Looking north
Pier #2
South span (span #1)
South pier (pier #1)
Span #2
Plaque
Pier #3
Span #3
Looking north
South abutment
Overview
Looking south
North pier (pier #6)
North span (span #5)
Pier #5
Looking north
Under bridge
Looking north
South abutment and approach
Looking north
Overview
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Date Taken:
Author:
Caption:
Name Le Roy Trail Bridge
Built By Chicago Great Western Railway
Currently Owned By Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Superstructure Contractor Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of North Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Length 340 Feet Total, 60 Foot Largest Span
Width 1 Track
Height Above Ground 15 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design Deck Plate Girder and Timber Pile Trestle
Substructure Design Timber Pile
Date Built 1903, Approaches Replaced c. 1980
Traffic Count 0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status Open to Trail Traffic
Significance Local Significance
Documentation Date 7/13/2015; 4/1/2021
In 1890, the Winona & Southwestern Railway (W&SW) began construction of 114 miles of new railroad extending from Winona, Minnesota to Osage, Iowa. The new line would be completed in 1891, and the W&SW would be sold to the Winona & Western Railway Company in 1894. The W&W would be sold to the Wisconsin, Minnesota & Pacific (WM&P) Railroad Company in 1901. The WM&P was subsequently leased by the Chicago Great Western Railway (CGW) the same year. The CGW would be reorganized as the Chicago Great Western Railroad (CGW) in 1909.
The line never developed beyond a secondary route, and the WM&P would be fully consolidated into the CGW by 1920. By 1936, a segment from Winona to Altura would be abandoned, followed by the segment from Altura to Utica in 1962, and the segment from McIntyre, Iowa to Osage in 1964. In 1968, the CGW would be purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway. Further abandonments between Utica and Simpson in 1969; Stewartville and McIntyre in 1977. Today, the entirety of the line has been abandoned, although many remains of the line can still be found.

Located in Le Roy, this deck plate girder bridge crosses the Upper Iowa River on DNR owned land. Little is known about the history of this bridge. The bridge consists of five deck plate girder spans of various sizes, set onto timber pile piers. In addition, trestle spans originally approached each end of the bridge, but these were replaced when the bridge was converted to trail use. One girder span has a plaque indicating it was built in 1903 by Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company. Because of the various sizes of spans and timber substructures, it appears likely that this bridge was built using spare parts, originally fabricated at other locations. Railroads often reused steel spans, as it was a cost effective way to replace bridges. If a steel span became inadequate at one location, it often could be feasibly repaired, and installed at another location. 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.

Citations

Builder and build date Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company plaque
Railroad History Citation ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele