In 1853, the line was extended another 119 Miles to Geneseo, about 20 miles from the Mississippi River. This section crossed the Des Plaines River at Joliet and Fox River at Ottawa, and followed the Illinois River.
The remaining section of line was built in 1854, and went up to the Mississippi River.
The first railroad to reach west of the Mississippi was this one, as a swing bridge was built to cross the Mississippi in 1856.
However, the bridge became infamous for an accident in which the bridge collapsed after being struck by a boat. The lawyer who defended the young railroad? Abraham Lincoln, who would eventually become 16th president of the country.
The railroad renamed in 1880 to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, also known as the Rock Island.
The railroad operated this line heavily, extending it through Iowa towards Nebraska and the pacific. The line was the backbone of the railroad.
However, despite the seemed success of the railroad, it eventually began to fail. By 1980, the railroad fell to bankruptcy and abandoned all their property.
This line was purchased by the Iowa Interstate Railroad west of Ottawa, and CSX Railroad east of Ottawa to Joliet. Metra currently uses the Chicago to Joliet portion, for their Rock Island District.
Today, much of the line has been upgraded from the poor conditions it was at in 1980. It is operated as the CSX New Rock Subdivision east of Ottawa to Joliet.
West of Ottawa to Davenport, it is operated as the 1st Subdivision of the Iowa Interstate Railroad.
06/26/21
This structure carried a Rock Island spur over a power canal of the Illinois River, in Marseilles.
The spur was reportedly built in 1888, when all the bridges were apparently built. Two more structures, a girder and a truss, also exist at this location.
It is unknown if the spur was actually built in 1888, but the author suspects that this bridge may have been moved from another location, based on the concrete substructures.
Fabricated in 1888, this bridge is a simple 7 panel, Double Intersection Warren Pony Truss, with riveted connections. It rests on concrete substructures.
In addition, the structure was an early example of Lassig Bridge & Iron Works craftsmanship, oftentimes using the Double Intersection Warren Truss for their construction.
As the Historic American Engineering Record has to say about this structure:
"One of the oldest bridges in the [I&M] Heritage Corridor, this single span Howe truss carries a spur of the Rock Island Railroad across the Marseilles power canal into the Nabisco Carton Factory. The use of the Howe truss for railroad bridges was increasingly uncommon for such late-nineteenth century metal bridges."
The bridge also has an uncertain future. Currently the Nabisco plant sits abandoned, however talks of opening it as a museum have spurred.
Other ideas include demolition of the plant, which may have an adverse effect on the three abandoned and historic bridges at this location.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, and could be reused for a trail at this location or another location.
The author has ranked the bridge as being regionally significant, due to the older age of the bridge, as well as the unknown history.
The photo above is an overview from upstream, and the historic photos are HAER photos compiled in 1997.
| Upstream | Seneca Lift Bridge |
| Middle Canal | Marseilles Nabisco Bridge #2 |
| South Canal | Marseilles Nabisco Bridge #3 |
| Downstream | Ottawa Lift Bridge |