In 1879, the railroad was acquired by the Omaha and Northern Nebraska Railway, who built 15 miles further north to Oakland.
The following year, the Sioux City and Nebraska Railroad would build 50 more miles to Sioux City, from Oakland.
The railroad would be consolidated entirely as the Sioux City and Nebraska Railroad. By 1883, the railroad became part of the Chicago, St. Paul Minneapolis & Omaha Railway.
The Omaha Road has tracks stretching through Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. This southern connection created a continuous mainline.
The Omaha Road was also leased by the Chicago & North Western, which continued until 1957.
The road was a branch line, connecting Sioux City to Omaha. There was another parallel, and straighter mainline in Iowa.
By 1972, the Omaha Road ceased to exist. The Chicago & North Western took full ownership of this line.
The entire line was abandoned in 1981. A short segment in Blair was rebuilt in 1998.
Today, there are few remains of this line.
06/26/21
This small stone arch crosses Deer Creek, parallel to US-75.
Unfortunately, because of the proximity of US-75, and the lack of public land; this bridge is hard to hit. It rests inside significant brush.
However, it appears to have been built in 1899, when the CStPM&O did significant work replacing trestles along this line.
In addition, it appears to be in good condition. No visible alterations have been made to it.
It is hoped it will continue to stand for generations to come.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.
I intend to return as soon as time permits to do more documentation of this structure.