The line would be extended an additional distance of 32 miles to Alexandria in 1878. An additional 77 miles would be added, extending the route to Barnesville in 1879.
In 1879, this segment of the StP&P was sold to the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway. The StPM&M had a considerable amount of trackage throughout Minnesota.
The following year, the Barnesville & Moorhead Railway built the final 23 miles to Moorhead, Minnesota. Immediately following, the railroad would be sold to the StPM&M.
By 1907, the StPM&M became part of the Great Northern Railway. The collection of railroads dating back to the St. Paul & Pacific were primarily controlled by railroad magnate James J Hill.
Great Northern used this as a secondary mainline, serving traffic between St. Cloud and Moorhead.
By 1970, the Great Northern merged with rival Northern Pacific and Chicago Burlington & Quincy to form Burlington Northern Railroad.
Burlington Northern would downgrade this line through the 1970s and 1980s, in favor of the double tracked Staples Subdivision.
In 1981, Burlington Northern abandoned the segment between Collegeville and Avon. The remaining route was sold to the Otter Tail Valley Railroad in 1986.
OTVR could not turn a profit on the route, and it was abandoned between Fergus Falls and Avon in 1992. By 1996, the Burlington Northern merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe to form BNSF Railway.
In 2002, BNSF abandoned another segment between St. Joseph and Collegeville. BNSF currently owns a segment between St. Cloud and St. Joseph.
The bulk of the route was railbanked, purchased by governments in 1992 and subsequently reopened as a popular pair of trails.
On the southern half, the trail between Osakis and Collegeville (later St. Joseph) was named the Lake Wobegon Trail. Planning begun in 1994, and the trail was completed by 1998.
The northern half became the Central Lakes Trail, and was completed in 2005. The remaining line between Fergus Falls and Moorhead is operated by the Otter Tail Valley Railroad.
01/27/22
Located west of Melrose, this deck girder bridge is the second crossing of the Sauk River on the Lake Wobegon Trail.
Built in 1950 to replace a similar deck girder built in 1903, the bridge features three deck girder spans, set onto concrete substructures. In addition, the original stone abutments still remain from the old bridge as retaining walls.
This style of bridge is exceptionally common on American railroads, due to the ease of construction and durability.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with minor spalling noted throughout the structure.
The author has ranked the bridge as being minimally significant, due to the newer age and common design.
The photo above is an overview.