The DM&N would use the Great Northern Route to get to Duluth prior to construction connecting their own line.
The new construction took place in 1905, when a connection was put in place from near Keenan to Culver, connecting into Duluth via Proctor.
The construction was majorly financed by the new United States Steel, which was formed in 1901 and took complete control of the DM&N the same year.
By 1938, the DM&N merged with its partner, the Duluth & Iron Range Railroad to form Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railroad (DM&IR).
The DM&IR was a major iron/taconite hauler in the region, hauling the high grade Missabe Iron Ore to Lake Superior and to Pittsburgh.
USS continued to control the DM&IR until 1988, when they spun their railroad holdings off to Blackstone Group, who in turn sold them to Canadian National in 2003.
The DM&IR was a subsidiary of Canadian National until 2011, when it was fully purchased by Wisconsin Central, ending the long history of the railroad.
The WC Ltd is a fully owned subsidiary of Canadian National, who currently operates over all the DM&IR lines, including this line, known as the Missabe Subdivision, running from Keenan to the St. Louis Bay Ore Docks.
06/26/21
Located near the small isolated town of Burnett, this large deck truss bridge crosses the Cloquet River.
Originally, the bridge was built during the first construction of the line. This structure was likely a light deck truss bridge.
In 1906, a second track was added on the west side of the existing structure. This new structure featured an 8-panel, riveted Warren Deck Truss with a series of deck girder spans on either side. This track was set onto concrete and steel substructures.
The original bridge was replaced in 1924 with an identical span to the 1906 structure. This structure was set onto stone and steel substructures.
Other than the different build dates, these structures are remarkably similar. Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. The 1906 structure is currently out of use.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.
The photo above is an overview, with County 694 behind.
