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DM&E Fremont Street Bridge

Steel Stringer Bridge Over Fremont Street
Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota

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Name DM&E Fremont Street Bridge
Built By Chicago & North Western Railway
Contractor (South Span) American Bridge Company of New York
Contractor (North Span) Vierling Steel Works of Chicago
Currently Owned By Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
Length 50 Feet Total
Width 2 Tracks, 1 In Use
Height Above Ground 11 Feet 8 Inches
Superstructure Type Steel Stringer
Superstructure Type Stone Masonry
Date Built (South Span) 1939
Date Built (North Span) 1966
Traffic Count 5 Trains/Day (Estimated)
Current Status In Use
DM&E Bridge Number M215
Significance Minimal Significance
A brief history of the Chicago & North Western route between Winona, Minnesota and Rapid City, South Dakota:

  • 1864: 50 miles completed from Winona to Rochester, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
  • 1865: 55 miles completed from Rochester to Waseca, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
  • 1867: W&StP is controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
  • 1870: 11 miles completed from Waseca to Janesville, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
  • 1871: 23 miles completed from Janesville to Mankato, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
  • 1872: 30 miles completed from Mankato to New Ulm, Minnesota via St. Peter by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
  • 1877: 62 miles completed from New Ulm to Tracy, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
  • 1879: 46 miles completed from Tracy, Minnesota to Elkhorn, South Dakota by the Chicago and Dakota Railway
  • 1879: 25 miles completed from Elkhorn to Volga, South Dakota by the Dakota Central Railway
  • 1880: 184 miles completed from Volga to Pierre, South Dakota by the Dakota Central Railway
  • 1881: Chicago and Dakota Railway controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
  • 1900: 26 miles completed from Mankato to New Ulm, Minnesota by the Mankato & New Ulm Railway
  • 1900: The Winona & St. Peter, Chicago and Dakota, Dakota Central and Mankato & New Ulm Railway all are merged into the Chicago & North Western Railway
  • 1905: Native American land west of the Missouri River opened to settlement
  • 1906: 76 miles completed from Ft. Pierre to Philip, South Dakota by the Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern Railway
  • 1906: 45 miles completed from Rapid City to Wasta, South Dakota by the Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern Railway
  • 1907: 3 miles completed from Pierre to Ft. Pierre, South Dakota by the Pierre & Ft. Pierre Bridge Railway, including the bridge across the Missouri River
  • 1907: 44 miles completed from Pierre to Philip, South Dakota by the Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern Railway
  • 1907: Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern and the Pierre & Ft. Pierre Bridge Railway controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
  • 1937: Burdette to Kasota segment abandoned
  • 1957: Kasota to St. Peter segment abandoned, and Minnesota River Bridge removed
  • 1963: St. Peter to Traverse segment abandoned
  • 1970: Traverse to New Ulm Quarry segment abandoned
  • 1986: Winona to Rapid City route, and New Ulm Quarry spur sold to Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad amid C&NW abandonment proposals
  • 2008: DM&E purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway and operated as a subsidiary
  • 2014: CP sells Tracy, Minnesota to Rapid City, South Dakota to Genesee Wyoming owned Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad
  • 2008-Present: Canadian Pacific (DM&E) operates the Winona to Waseca segment as the Waseca Subdivision
  • 2008-Present: Canadian Pacific (DM&E) operates the Waseca to Tracy segment as the Tracy Subdivision
  • 2014-Present: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern operates the Tracy to Huron segment as the Huron Subdivision
  • 2014-Present: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern operates the Huron to Pierre segment as the Pierre Subdivision
  • 2014-Present: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern operates the Pierre to Rapid City segment as the PRC Subdivision

06/26/21


Located on the east side of Owatonna, this bridge crosses Fremont Street near Grove Avenue.
Originally built in 1894 as a deck girder with stone abutments, the bridge was upgraded over time. The southern track was replaced by a steel stringer in 1939, while the north track was replaced by a similar steel stringer in 1966.
Currently, this bridge has little historical significance due to these alterations. A similar bridge once existed at Oak Avenue, but was replaced in 2016.
Overall, the bridge appears to remain in good condition.

The author has ranked this bridge as being minimally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.

Citations

Source Type

Source

Build Date (South Span) American Bridge Company plaque
Contractor (South Span) American Bridge Company plaque
Build Date (North Span) Vierling Steel Works plaque
Contractor (North Span) Vierling Steel Works plaque
Railroad Line History Source ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele



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