By 1878, the route opened from the town of Waukee to Adel, a distance of approximately 10 miles. By December of 1879, a bridge was completed across the Raccoon River and work continued towards Panora.
In 1881, the route would reach Fonda.
Also in 1881, the DMA&W became part of the Des Moines Northwestern Railroad, which built from Waukee to Clive; and eventually into Des Moines.
At the end of 1888, the route reached Spirit Lake, in Dickinson County. By 1891, the entire route would contain standard gauge track.
Towards the end of the 19th Century, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway was attempting to acquire the route. The deal would be finalized in 1894.
Despite acquiring the line, the Milwaukee Road never had any critical connections for the route north of Yale. As a result, the route was classified as a branch line.
By the 1970s, major abandonments began throughout Iowa as railroads consolidated routes. On this line, the first section to be removed was from Milford to Spirit Lake in 1974.
The route was later abandoned from Spender to Milford in 1978. A mass closure of the route occurred in 1980, and included portions from Clive to Yale, Spencer to Marathon and Jefferson to Albert City.
The remaining segments, from Jefferson to Yale and from Marathon to Albert City were purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway in 1985.
By 1990, the segment from Jefferson to Herndon was abandoned, and by 1999 the segment from Herndon to Yale would also be abandoned.
The C&NW became a part of Union Pacific Railroad in 1995. Today, they operate one sole portion of this line, from Albert City to Marathon as the Laurens Subdivision.
South of Jefferson, the route is a trail extending to Clive.
06/16/22
Located in Adel, this large truss bridge carries the Raccoon River Trail over the North Raccoon River.
Possibly built in 1899 as a 3 span structure at Oxford Junction, Iowa; it is believed that two spans were relocated to Adel after the dismantling of that bridge in 1943. These two trusses are each 6 panel, pin connected Pratt pony trusses. These trusses were standard design for the Milwaukee Road.
In addition to the two trusses, a 45-foot girder is used as the west approach. This girder was likely built in approximately 1900 at an unknown location, and was "twinned" upon reuse here. The east approach is composed of timber trestle, and the entire bridge sits on concrete substructures.
While railroad records indicate that the bridge was built in 1944, a date stamp on the pier indicates the center pier was built in 1949. It is possible that these piers were rebuilt only a few years after construction.
Oftentimes, railroads would reuse older steel spans on branch lines to save money. The previous bridge at this location was an 1891 Pratt through truss.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. Unlike some structures in the area, the bridge has solid substructures which should provide a long term crossing for the Raccoon River Valley Trail, which uses the bridge.
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the unique history and truss design of the bridge.
Relocations were common for bridge spans among many railroads, and increases the historical value of a bridge. This structure was likely reused and relocated because it was in good condition, and would be a fraction of the cost of a new bridge.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from the trail which it carries.
| Upstream | Perry Trail Bridge |
| Downstream | Booneville Rail Bridge |