President Millard Fillmore signed the land grant for the new rail line in 1850, making it the first Land Grant railroad constructed.
The first parts of the line were built south from Freeport. The line from Galena to Freeport was a portion of the original Chicago & Galena Union Railroad.
Construction began in 1851, and the line reached Cairo by early 1856. Upon completion, the road was the longest in the world. It would be named the Illinois Central.
The railroad backbone of Illinois also had many connections. At Centralia, a line branched towards Chicago. At Cairo, the line continued south via steamboat to New Orelans.
The northern section of the line ran from Bloomington/Normal to Galena, and up to the Mississippi River. The final 15 miles in Illinois opened in 1870, as part of the line into Iowa.
The line ran into significant obsticals. Near Galena, the terrain is some of the most rugged in Illinois, meaning the railroad had to use various vallies to build through the area.
At La Salle, the Illinois River is a signficant barrier, and a bridge nearly half a mile long was required.
Freeport also became a major stop as the Illinois Central. In the 1880s, a line would be added to Madison, Wisconsin; as well as to Chicago.
Bloomington, La Salle, Mendota and Dixon also were major stops; crossing various railroads heading into Chicago.
The line had a stable traffic base, and in 1972, the Illinois Central became the Illinois Central Gulf, after a merge with the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio.
Despite the lines significance, the segment from Freeport to Centralia was abandoned in 1985. However, exceptions existed.
The Illinois River Bridge at La Salle, and track as far south as Oglesby were purchased by a gravel mine, Buzzi Unicem; who owns and operates it now.
The remaining portions of the line are owned by Canadian National, although Illinois Central is still an active subsidiary.
The remaining portion from Galena to Freeport is the Freeport Subdivision.
07/17/21
Located in Galena, this large through girder bridge crosses the Galena River.
Originally built in 1913, the bridge contained a pair of through girder spans, and a large bascule lift span. However, a derailment in 1976 destroyed the bascule span. As a result, the bascule span was replaced with a pair of through girders. The entire bridge rests on concrete substructures.
It is unknown if the two spans built in 1976 were actually relocated from another location. It seems likely that a 1976 girder span would be of welded construction, which these two through girder spans are not.
Today, the bridge is still operated. Unfortunately, the bascule span does not still exist, as it would make this bridge much more significant.
Overall, this bridge appears to be in good condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.