The line was completed to Minnesota City by 1870, and to Winona by 1871.
The first major feature was the crossing of the Mississippi River at Hastings, which was a swing bridge.
The road would be sold to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway in late 1871. From here, it would be extended to La Crosse, crossing the Mississippi a second time.
The road then would connect through Wisconsin to Milwaukee, which had been built many years prior.
The line was immediately considered a main line, and was treated as such. Via a third connection, it provided a direct route between the Twin Cities and Chicago.
The CM&StP rebuilt both Mississippi River Bridges in 1901, making the line even heavier engineered.
In 1928, the railroad reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific (Milwaukee Road).
The line stayed in the Milwaukee Road system throughout the entire bankruptcy, and when the Milwaukee Road collapsed in 1985, the road was purchased by the Soo Linel.
Prior to that, the Soo Line was completely controlled by Canadian Pacific. Canadian Pacific currently owns this route.
Today, it is operated as the River Subdivision.
06/24/23
This through girder bridge crosses the Whitewater River between Weaver and Kellogg.
Built in 1910, the bridge consists of a pair of through girder spans. These large spans are approached by three deck girders and a concrete slab to the south, and several concrete slabs to the north. The entire bridge rests on concrete substructures. Two of the deck girder spans were twinned and reused from the previous bridge at this location. It is currently unknown when they were built.
The bridge was also built for two tracks, although only one track is currently used. It appears that some of the approach spans have been replaced since the initial construction.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition. The author intends to have a closer inspection of the bridge in the near future.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.