This line served as a secondary connection between the United States and the Canadian border, becoming part of the Great Northern Railway in 1889. In 1906, the line was extended north to Portage La Prairie. By 1907, the StPM&M was fully consumed by the Great Northern.
The Canadian segment of the line was removed in 1929, dead ending the route at Gretna. The Great Northern built a significant amount of branch lines throughout northern Minnesota and North Dakota, many of which were branch lines that served small farming communities.
In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific to form Burlington Northern Railroad. By 1977, the International Border crossing was closed, cutting back the line to Neche, North Dakota; just south of the Canadian Border.
Because the many branch lines in this area were often parallel to one another, BN removed more of this line in 1994, cutting it back to Glasston. In 1996, BN merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway.
In 2006, BNSF leased the line from Grafton to Glasston to Dakota Northern Railroad. Unfortunately, the line was closed to traffic between Grafton and Glasston in 2009 after an unsafe bridge was found. This segment is still owned by BNSF and is used for car storage.
Between Grand Forks and Grafton, BNSF still operates the line, known as the Glasston Subdivision.
06/26/21
Located at the intersection of US Highway 81 and 57th Street between Ardoch and Minto, this large deck girder bridge crosses an unnamed inlet of Lake Ardoch.
Built in 1908, the bridge features four deck girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. It is unknown why such a large structure was used here.
This style bridge was commonly used to replace older trestles, as girder bridges such as this were easy to construct and maintain. Great Northern upgraded many bridges in this area between 1907-08.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition, with no major deterioration noted. However, there is a significant amount of spalling on the bridge.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.