At the same time, the railroad continued to build southwest, towards Jacksonville.
In addition, the Jacksonville, Alton and St. Louis Railroad began building 60 more miles from Jacksonville to Godfrey, a point near Alton.
In 1862, the St. Louis, Jacksonville and Chicago Railroad took hold of both railroad companies, and completed the line.
This railroad became part of the Chicago & Alton Railroad by 1899. It served as a branch line, connecting to the mainline on both ends.
With a failing traffic base, the Chicago & Alton was purchased by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1931. It was reorganized as the Alton Railroad.
By 1947, the railroad was failing again and was purchased by the Gulf, Mobile & Northern Railroad, which renamed the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio Railroad.
This continued to operate until 1972, when it was merged with Illinois Central Railroad, to form Illinois Central Gulf.
By 1978, the line began to fall. Interstate Highway 55 replaced the general routing, and the route was removed from Jacksonville to Bloomington by 1980.
By 1987, the ICG was purging excess lines; and sold the remaining portion to the Chicago, Missouri & Western Railway.
This railroad failed in 1989, becoming part of the Gateway Western Railway. By 1997 became a part of the Kansas City Southern, the current owners of this line.
06/26/21
Located west of Hopesdale, this beautiful stone arch structure crosses a branch of Indian Creek.
Built in approximately 1889, the bridge features a single stone arch span. No reinforcement has been provided for the span.
Arches like these are common to cross smaller creeks, and are particularly durable structures.
Unfortunately, a confirmed build date on the bridge cannot be found, although the stonework matches the nearby Townhall Road Bridge.
Today, the bridge is abandoned and privately owned. Fortunately, it appears to be in good condition.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge was accessed with permission by a farmer in the area, and it appears to be used by farm equipment.