- 1887: 147 miles completed from Forest Park to Aiken, Illinois by the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad
- 1887: Trackage rights granted over the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and Illinois Central Railroad into Dubuque, Iowa
- 1894: M&NW sold to the Chicago Great Western Railway
- 1911: Chicago Great Western Railway reorganized as the Chicago Great Western Railroad
- 1968: CGW acquired by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1970: Segment from Forest Park to Elmhurst abandoned
- 1972: Segment from Byron to Aiken (Galena Junction) abandoned
- 1974: Segment from Elmhurst to Villa Park abandoned
- 1977: Segment from St. Charles to Sycamore abandoned
- 1981: Segment from Sycamore to Byron abandoned, small spur in Byron sold to the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railway
- 1985: Segment from Villa Park to Carol Stream abandoned
- 1993: Segment through the DuPage Airport abandoned and realigned
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 2011: Segment from West Chicago to St. Charles is abandoned
- 1980s-Present: Great Western Trail extends from Maywood to Carol Stream and from St. Charles to Sycamore
- 2010-Present: Sangamon Valley Trail is developed in pieces between Barr and Girard
- 1985-Present: Spur in Byron operated by Canadian Pacific Railway
06/26/21
Located in the town of Glen Ellyn, this small stone arch bridge carries the Great Western Trail over the E. Branch DuPage River near I-355 and Ackerman Park.
It is unknown when the bridge was built, but it is known that the Chicago Great Western rapidly built stone and concrete arches and culverts to replace aging trestles between 1895 and 1910. However, the bulk of the work in Illinois and Iowa came between 1899 and 1901.
In 1899, the Report to the Railroad and Warehouse Commission of Illinois stated that significant trestles remained, although many arch culverts were built through the year. In addition, the areas around Lombard were known to have had bridges built in 1899.
Due to that, the author believes the bridge was built in approximately 1899. More research on this will be conducted to confirm a build date.
Currently, the bridge is a single span stone arch, used by the Great Western Trail. Little alterations have been made to the structure since construction.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. However, corrective action should be taken to address scour along the walls.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | W. Branch DuPage River Trail Bridge |
| Downstream | UP E Branch DuPage River Bridge |