By 1938, the D&IR merged with its partner, the Duluth Missabe & Northern Railroad to form Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railroad (DM&IR).
The DM&IR was a major iron/taconite hauler in the region, hauling the high grade Missabe Iron Ore to Lake Superior and to Pittsburgh.
United States Steel had control of the DM&IR until 1988, when they spun their railroad holdings off to Blackstone Group, who in turn sold them to Canadian National in 2003.
The DM&IR was a subsidiary of Canadian National until 2011, when it was fully purchased by Wisconsin Central, ending the long history of the railroad.
This line however was spun off to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum as a tourist/heritage railroad. The railroad currently operating the line is North Shore Scenic Railroad, which provides daily tourist railroads between Two Harbors and Duluth.
Today, the CN has trackage rights over this railroad, yet rarely uses them, unless a special case warrents it.
12/03/21
Located in Duluth, this deck girder bridge was built in approximately 1896 to cross Tischer Creek. During 1896, it is known that five steel bridges were built to cross various streams between Duluth and Two Harbors.
Crossing above Tischer Creek near the Glensheen Mansion, the bridge features a pair of deck girder spans, which are approached by a steel stringer span on the north side. The substructures of the bridge consist of stone, concrete and steel.
Currently, the bridge appears to be in a modified configuration, with a center bent added to strengthen the bridge. The bridge was listed as three spans in a 1918 map, indicating the bent is not original. It crosses high above Tischer Creek Falls.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. The location is particularly scenic for the waterfall underneath.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design. Unfortunately, no information on the construction can be found.
The photo above is an overview.