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 the I&M Canal. The spur was built to serve the Marseilles Riverfront.
The spur appears to have been built in 1888, when all the bridges were reportedly built. In addition to this structure, there are three more at the Nabisco Plant.
The swing bridge was built to cross the I&M Canal, a once navigable (and flowing) waterway. The Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal was built to connect the Great Lakes at Chicago to the Illinois River at La Salle, and ultimately the Mississippi River.
However, the canal was soon replaced by the shorter and wider Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900. The I&M Canal quickly deteriorated, and in 2015 large sections do not flow.
This section is no exception. A heavy greenery surrounds this structure, making documentation near impossible.
Currently, the bridge consists of a single through girder span, set onto an unknown substructure.
However, among the many things to note are the likely operational status of the swing mechanism, meaning the bridge could turn if ever needed.
Also, the date of 1887 provided on the plaque may be inaccurate for this bridge, and no record can be found for a Manufactures Bridge Company.
Despite this, a large amount of research likely went into these two components, so they have been integrated into the information about this structure. However, the author believes the correct build date is closer to 1900.
Currently, the bridge is abandoned and has not been used in many years. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview. The views are oftentimes limited of this structure during the summer months, seen above.
| Upstream | Morris Terminal Rail Bridge |
| Downstream | Utica Rail Bridge |