In 1901, it became a part of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway. The MKT built the line that this spur extended off of approximately a decade earlier.
MKT operated this as a short spur, and a way to get freight into and out of Columbia. At Columbia, it connected with a spur of the Wabash Railroad.
The Wabash Railroad Mainline and the MKT Mainline were the only east/west mainlines to connect Kansas City/St. Louis that went near Columbia. This necessitated the need for the two spurs.
Inevitably, the MKT line would be abandoned in 1980, and be converted to a trail by 1982. The trail follows Flat Branch Creek and Hinkson Creek for its route.
The 9 Mile trail, dubbed the MKT Nature and Fitness Trail, or the MKT Trail for short; is a spur of the longest rail-trail in the nation (the Katy Trail).
06/26/21
This tiny truss bridge crosses Hinkson Creek, and is one of the more unique bridges in the area.
A 4 panel, riveted Pratt Pony Truss is the main span. It only has a length of 55 feet, and would normally have been built as a girder structure.
For reasons unknown, the designers of the railroad chose to build this small pony truss. It is approached by trestle on either side.
In addition, the piers are constructed of wooden pilings. This bridge is a much smaller and less "permanent" structure than the Perche Creek Bridge to the south.
Unfortunately, the City of Columbia has decided to update many of the bridges along the MKT Nature and Fitness Trail. A similar, but larger structure was replaced and the endposts placed as a permanent display. The author believes this is related to needing to be able to get emergency vehicles over the structures.
It is hoped that when this bridge is inevitably replaced, the span can be moved to the side as a permanent display, entirely intact.
Because of the uniqueness, this bridge has been ranked as moderately significant by the author.
The photo above is an overview.