- 1867: 16 miles completed from Ackley to Eldora, Iowa by the Eldora Railroad and Coal Company
- 1868: 27 miles completed from Eldora to Marshalltown, Iowa by the Iowa River Railway
- 1868: Eldora Railroad and Coal Company sold to the Iowa River Railway
- 1869: Iowa River Railway sold to the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1871: 65 miles completed from Northwood to Ackley, Iowa by the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1871: 81 miles completed from Marshalltown to Albia, Iowa by the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1878: Central Railroad Company of Iowa sold to Central Iowa Railway
- 1882: 98 miles completed from Oskaloosa to the Mississippi River across from Keithsburg, Illinois by the Chicago, Burlington & Pacific Railroad
- 1882: CB&P sold to the Central Iowa Railway
- 1883: 83 miles completed from Keithsburg to Peoria, Illinois by the Central Iowa Railway Company
- 1886: Mississippi River Bridge completed at Keithsburg by the Keithsburg Bridge Company
- 1889: Central Iowa Railway sold to the Iowa Central Railway
- 1895: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1901: Iowa Central Railway controlled by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1901: Keithsburg Bridge Company sold to the Iowa Central Railway
- 1912: Iowa Central Railway sold to the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- Ca. 1920: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway
- 1960: Minneapolis & St. Louis purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1962: Beacon, Iowa to Eddyville, Iowa segment abandoned, operations begin over parallel Rock Island tracks
- 1971: Oskaloosa, Iowa to Keithsburg, Illinois segment abandoned
- 1976: Keithsburg, Illinois to Middle Grove, Illinois segment abandoned
- 1988: Hampton, Iowa to Ackley, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1990: Rockwell, Iowa to Sheffield, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1995: C&NW purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 2001: Eddyville, Iowa to Albia, Iowa segment abandoned
- 2001: Sheffield, Iowa to Hampton, Iowa segment abandoned
- 2006: Ackley, Iowa to Marshalltown, Iowa segment sold to the Iowa River Railroad
- 2008: Middle Grove, Illinois to Peoria, Illinois segment abandoned
- 2011: Steamboat Rock, Iowa to Marshalltown, Iowa abandoned and purchased by Marshall and Hardin Counties
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Oskaloosa Subdivision between Marshalltown and Eddyville
- 2006-Present: Iowa River Railroad operates between Ackley and Steamboat Rock
- 2011-Present: Iowa River Rail Trail being developed between Steamboat Rock and Marshalltown
08/26/21
This bridge is the main bridge over the Mississippi River. It contained a deck girder, nine 7-panel Pratt Through Trusses with riveted connections and A-Frame portals, a 234' Lift Span and a single truss.
The bridge was built in 1909 on concrete substructures to replace an 1886 Whipple Through Truss. The stone piers for that bridge are right beside this bridge.
Historic photo of the previous bridge
On June 30th 1981, the bridges lift span shack was set ablaze by teens with fireworks. This set the bridge on fire, collapsing the lift span.
It was nearly 2 weeks until the Army Corp of Engineers blew up the lift span and one other truss. Today, this leaves a huge gap in the bridge.
After the collapse of the center span, there were plans to reuse portions of the bridge to load barges. However, these plans completely fell through.
Overall, the remaining structure remains in fair condition. The author is curious why this bridge wasn't removed, although the remaining structures would be viable for future use.
Historic photo of the bridge
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the large design of the bridge.
The photo above is an overview. More photos of this bridge will be coming soon.
| Upstream | Crescent Bridge |
| Downstream | Burlington Lift Bridge |