- 1882: 93 miles completed from Hopkins to Morton, Minnesota by the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway
- 1882: 123 miles completed from Morton to Watertown, South Dakota by the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pacific Railway
- 1895: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1899: Morton to Watertown segment sold to the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1895: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1960: Minneapolis & St. Louis purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1969: Revillo to Watertown segment abandoned
- 1969: Stratford to Leola segment abandoned
- 1970: Madison, Minnesota to Revillo segment abandoned
- 1977: Watertown to Stratford segment abandoned
- 1977: Hanley Falls to Madison segment sold to Burlington Northern Railroad
- 1980: Hopkins to Norwood segment abandoned, Hopkins to Victoria segment purchased by Hennepin and Carver Counties for trail use
- 1982: Norwood to Hanley Falls segment abandoned
- 1983: Norwood to Hanley Falls segment purchased by the Minnesota Valley Regional Railroad Authority
- 1996: Burlington Northern merges with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway
- 2002: Minnesota Prairie Line, a subsidiary of Twin Cities & Western Railroad begins operations on the Norwood to Hanley Falls segment
- 1980s-Present: Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail uses the railroad grade from Hopkins to Victoria
- 1996-Present: BNSF operates the Hanley Falls to Madison segment as the Hanley Falls Subdivision
- 2002-Present: Minnesota Prairie Line operates and continues to upgrade the Norwood to Hanley Falls segment
12/03/21
Crossing the Minnesota River at Morton, this large through truss bridge is an antique landmark to the town.
Built in 1896, the bridge consists of a main 6-panel, pin connected Pratt Through Truss. This truss span features an A-frame portal, although a lighter version than what became commonplace on post-1910 bridges.
This truss span rests on a stone abutment, and timber piles. The masonry on the abutment isn't a cut stone design, but is instead rubble granite, possibly cut from the area.
Trusses like this are becoming more rare along American railroads. While a span of this length once required a large truss, it can now be completed with a girder.
Historic photo of the bridge
Rehabilitation work is planned to bring the route to Hanley Falls back to service in the near future. The future is clouded for this bridge, which may see significant upgrades.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition. The truss portion of the structure shows little sign of deterioration, while the timber portions of the bridge appear to be in poor condition.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the truss design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream (Main Channel) | Granite Falls Rail Bridge (South) |
| Upstream (Overflow Channel) | Granite Falls Rail Bridge (North) |
| Downstream | M&StL Minnesota River Bridge (New Ulm) |