The line was officially completed in 1912, and was linked with Canadian Northern Railway, which linked in from Winnipeg.
Leaving Duluth, the line would approximately parallel the existing Northern Pacific Tracks as it climbed the hills out of Duluth.
One feature is the tunnel under Ely's Peak. North of I-35, the rail line heads due north through very rural sections of the Iron Range until reaching Forbes, where it has a connection with a current DM&IR line.
Upon reaching Virginia, it continued north towards Winnipeg.
The lines were officially consolidated into Canadian National Railway in 1923 following the nationalization of Canada's Railroads.
Throughout the years that followed. the DW&P was an important connection into the Midwest States.
In 2011, the CN Merged the DW&P into another subsidiary of theirs, Wisconsin Central Ltd.
Today, much of the DWP is still active north of Duluth as Canadian Nationals Rainey Subdivision.
South of I-35, the tracks are an unofficial hiking trail in the bluffs leading into Duluth, and is locally known as the
DW&P Trail. One caution is the lack of maintnance and the toll its taken on the undecked rail bridges, some of which are over 100 feet above the vallies.
04/03/22
Located near the Lake Superior Zoo, this large stone arch bridge crosses Knowlton Creek Boulevard
Built in 1911 during the construction of this route, the bridge features a single stone arch span. Heavily built, the bridge is made out of stone quarried nearby. It is unknown what the bridge was designed to cross, but appears likely that it may have been for a side channel of nearby Kingsbury Creek.
Oftentimes, bridges built at this time would have been constructed of concrete. However, the choice of the railroad to use stone in this situation appears to have paid off, as the bridge is in nearly perfect condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.