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Name	Glacial Lakes State Trail - Sauk River Bridge Great Northern Railway Bridge #13.5
Built By	Great Northern Railway
Currently Owned By	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Superstructure Contractor	Unknown
Length	179 Feet Total, 85 Foot Main Span
Width	1 Track
Height Above Ground	10 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Deck Plate Girder
Substructure Design	Stone Masonry and Concrete
Date Built	1920, East Span Added 1954
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge is a Trail)
Current Status	Open to Trail Traffic
Great Northern Railway Bridge Number	13.5
Significance	Local Significance
Documentation Date	8/4/2015

In 1886, the Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway Company (StPM&M) constructed 55 miles of new railroad between St. Cloud, Minnesota and Willmar, Minnesota. During the 1880s, the StPM&M constructed a large amount of new railroads throughout Minnesota, as well as acquired several smaller companies. The StPM&M would be sold to the Great Northern Railway (GN) in 1907. GN would later utilize this as a connecting route, diagonally connecting to Sioux City on the south, as well as St. Cloud and the Twin Ports on the north. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN). In 1985, the section between Willmar and Hawick was abandoned, and the segment between Hawick and Cold Spring was abandoned in 1988. Both segments were purchased for trail use. BN was in turn merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF Railway. BNSF leased the Cold Spring to St. Cloud segment to the Northern Lines Railroad (NRL) in 2004. The line would be abandoned between Rockville and Cold Spring in 2012. Today, the railroad grade between Rockville and Willmar is the Glacial Lakes State Trail, with the exception of a small gap between Roscoe and Panyesville. The St. Cloud to Rockville segment is still owned by BNSF, and operated by Northern Lines Railroad.

Located in Cold Spring, this deck plate girder bridge carries the Glacial Lakes State Trail across the Sauk River. The previous bridge here was a wooden Howe truss bridge, last rebuilt in 1915. In 1920, it was decided to replace the bridge with a more permanent structure. An 85-foot deck plate girder and a 42-foot deck plate girder would be installed on new concrete substructures, and reusing some of the old stone substructures. The bridge remained in this configuration until 1954, when a 50-foot deck plate girder span was installed to replace the east approach, and a new concrete abutment constructed. This span was likely relocated from another location. The bridge served railroad traffic until 2012, when it was converted to trail use. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with considerable scouring seen throughout the piers. The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.

Build Dates	Great Northern Willmar Division Bridge Index, located at the Minnesota Historical Society
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele

Glacial Lakes State Trail - Sauk River Bridge

Cold Spring, Stearns County, Minnesota