The line terminated in Sioux Falls until 1893, when the Great Northern Railway continued its expansion towards Yankton, South Dakota; where it met the Chicago & North Western.
The line effectively served as a mainline between the Twin Ports of Duluth and Superior and Sioux Falls, when connected with its connections.
By 1970, the Great Northern merged with rival Northern Pacific and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy to form Burlington Northern Railway.
By the mid-1970s, the trans-Minnesota saw a significant drop in traffic. Along with cutting significant portions of the line in Minnesota, Burlington Northern also took out Yankton to Sioux Falls in 1981.
In 1996, the Burlington Northern merged with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway, the current operators of the line from Garretson to Sioux Falls, now the Corson Subdivision.
06/26/21
This small truss bridge crosses Split Rock Creek in the Sioux Falls suburb of Corson, which lies just north of Brandon.
This bridge features an 8 panel, riveted warren pony truss main span. In addition, it is approached by deck girder on either side.
The bridge appears to be in fair condition. The bridge sits on stone substructures. It is worth noting that the stone piers appear to be constructed of a more uneven granite, instead of the typical limestone, such as the abutments and one pier.
The bridge has been ranked as moderately significant by the author, due to the uncommon design for the area and the unique features, such as the piers.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can easily be seen from nearby roads.
| Upstream | BNSF Split Rock Creek Bridge #4 |
| Downstream | Abandoned Split Rock Creek Bridge |