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.
12/23/21
Located in the town of LaSalle, this massive bridge crosses the Illinois River.
The original bridge here was a deck truss bridge, which was replaced in 1896 with another deck truss bridge. This new bridge consisted of 13 spans of 7-panel pin connected Pratt Deck Truss, a swing span of the same design, and approach trestles.
The north approach was replaced with a pair of deck plate girder spans to cross Rockwell Road. The south approach was replaced in 1933, along with the main span. The new main span was built in 1932, and consists of a 10-panel riveted Parker Through Truss span, to conform to navigation standards.
Most of the bridge rests on stone substructures, which have been repaired with concrete. This location also once contained another bridge, a large lift bridge of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, which crossed at an angle under this bridge. That bridge was removed in 1980.
Currently, the bridge serves as a spur to a cement plant in Oglesby. The bridge is very visible from nearby Interstate 39.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to good condition, and will be fit for train operations for the near future. The author stresses caution however in visiting the bridge, as poisonous snakes are known to reside near the bridge.
Historic photo of the bridge
The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant, due to the detailed history and older truss spans.
The photo above is an overview. The photos below are of the Historic American Engineering Record.
| Upstream | Ottawa Lift Bridge |
| Downstream | CB&Q Illinois River Bridge |
| Upstream | Utica Rail Bridge |
| Downstream | CB&Q I&M Canal Bridge |
