BNSF Red Lake River Bridge

In 1875, the Red River Valley Railroad Company built a line from Crookston to Fisher. The line was extended to Grand Forks by 1879, connecting the cities of Crookston and Grand Forks. The railroad quickly became part of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, which became part of the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba by 1882.
Then in 1888, the line was continued east from Crookston, through Erskine, to Fosston by the StPM&M. The StPM&M became part of the Great Northern in 1890.
At the same time, the Duluth and Winnipeg Railroad Company was building from Duluth to Deer River, on the other side of the state. The line was completed between the two cities, reaching Swan River and Grand Rapids in 1892. By 1900, the Eastern Railway of Minnesota opened the line between Deer River and Fosston, connecting Duluth to Grand Forks.
The new line was critical, as freight could be shipped from western Minnesota to Duluth, and placed on barges heading towards Michigan or other areas of the country.
The line crossed the Mississippi River in Ball Club and Bemidji. New lines were constructed from Cass Lake to Sauk Centre, connecting to another mainline, as well as several lines into the Iron Range.

Great Northern proceeded to operate the line from 1907 until its demise in 1970, when it merged with the Northern Pacific and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy to form the Burlington Northern.
Burlington Northern continued to operate the route as a main line. In 1996, BN merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe to form BNSF Railway, the current owner of this route.
12/03/21

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This bridge was built in 1906 as a second span to an existing 1892 truss, which had been built by Edge Moor Bridge Works.
This bridge features an 8-Panel pin connected Pratt Through Truss. The 1892 truss was similar. The 1906 truss, which still exists features laced endposts.
These two bridges were completely different. One was built extremely heavy, and the other looked much lighter.
At some point before 1939, the second bridge was removed, leaving an empty spot in the abutments and a single bridge.

Historic photo of the bridge

These two bridges both rested on stone substructures.
Today, the best views are from downstream on the north bank. These during times of low water can provide unmatched views of the structure. An example of one of these views can be seen above.

The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the low amount of trusses in the region, as well as the historical integrity.
The photo above is an overview

Red Lake River Railroad Bridges

Upstream	NP Red Lake River Bridge
Downstream	Confluence with Red River of the North