The first section, completed in 1868 was constructed from St. Paul to Wyoming, a city on the outskirts of the Twin Cities.
The second section was completed from Wyoming to 3 miles north of Hinckley by 1869, and the last section from Hinckley to Duluth in 1870.
The line became part of the St. Paul & Duluth Railroad in 1877, which became part of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1900.
A new grade, which crossed through Thomson and Current Jay Cooke State Park was built in 1888 to avoid unfavorable grades around the Fon Du Lac Area.
Carlton, in Carlton County became a major interchange point for the NP, with its line towards Fargo, Superior, and its line towards Cloquet breaking off here.
The line continued to be operated by NP until 1970, when they merged with their rival, Great Northern Railway to form Burlington Northern.
Because Great Northern already had a parallel line, the BN decided to abandon parts of this line. The first chunk came in 1976 from New Duluth to Riverside Junction, a short distance of 4 miles.
A second blow came later that year, when the line was abandoned from Carlton towards Duluth. This section contained many twists and turns as it went through what would later be known as Jay Cooke State Park.
Continuing abandonments included from Hinckley to Moose Lake in 1977 and from Moose Lake to Carlton in 1980.
In 1989, the BN abandoned another segment from North Branch to Forest Lake, and from Hugo to Forest Lake in 1987.
Also in 1987, the southern section from the St. Paul Union Depot to White Bear Lake at I-694 was abandoned.
The remaining tracks came under BNSF Railway control due to a merger in 1996 between BN and Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.
In 2019, there are two remaining sections. The southern one, currently owned by Minnesota Transfer Railroad runs from I-694 in White Bear Lake to the Washington County Line in Hugo.
The second segment is significantly longer and runs from North Branch to Hinckley, and is currently owned by the St. Croix Valley Railroad, which was created upon the sale of the tracks in 1997.
The entire line, known as the "Skally Line" is planned for trail development once the remaining tracks become available.
Currently, from North Branch to Hugo is the Sunrise Prairie Trail, while north of Hinckley is the Willard Munger State Trail. This section is 63 miles long, and the 5th longest paved trail in America.
In addition, a portion from I-694 to Saint Paul is now the Bruce Vento Nature Trail.
06/26/21
Located near Thomson, this bridge crosses the St. Louis River in Jay Cooke State Park.
Built in 1906 during a line change, the bridge features a single 6-panel, pin connected Pratt Through Truss. This truss rests on stone abutments.
The bridge crosses the river at an extremely scenic area. Jagged outcroppings of rocks create an area of rapids for the river.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. With proper maintenance, it should continue to serve trail use for many years to come.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the truss design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | Lower Dunlap Island Rail Bridge |
| Upstream | Upper Dunlap Island Rail Bridge |
| East Channel | Forbay Canal Trail Bridge |
| Downstream | Oliver Bridge |