- 1864: 50 miles completed from Winona to Rochester, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1865: 55 miles completed from Rochester to Waseca, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1867: W&StP is controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1870: 11 miles completed from Waseca to Janesville, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1871: 23 miles completed from Janesville to Mankato, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1872: 30 miles completed from Mankato to New Ulm, Minnesota via St. Peter by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1877: 62 miles completed from New Ulm to Tracy, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1879: 46 miles completed from Tracy, Minnesota to Elkhorn, South Dakota by the Chicago and Dakota Railway
- 1879: 25 miles completed from Elkhorn to Volga, South Dakota by the Dakota Central Railway
- 1880: 184 miles completed from Volga to Pierre, South Dakota by the Dakota Central Railway
- 1881: Chicago and Dakota Railway controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1900: 26 miles completed from Mankato to New Ulm, Minnesota by the Mankato & New Ulm Railway
- 1900: The Winona & St. Peter, Chicago and Dakota, Dakota Central and Mankato & New Ulm Railway all are merged into the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1905: Native American land west of the Missouri River opened to settlement
- 1906: 76 miles completed from Ft. Pierre to Philip, South Dakota by the Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern Railway
- 1906: 45 miles completed from Rapid City to Wasta, South Dakota by the Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern Railway
- 1907: 3 miles completed from Pierre to Ft. Pierre, South Dakota by the Pierre & Ft. Pierre Bridge Railway, including the bridge across the Missouri River
- 1907: 44 miles completed from Pierre to Philip, South Dakota by the Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern Railway
- 1907: Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern and the Pierre & Ft. Pierre Bridge Railway controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1937: Burdette to Kasota segment abandoned
- 1957: Kasota to St. Peter segment abandoned, and Minnesota River Bridge removed
- 1963: St. Peter to Traverse segment abandoned
- 1970: Traverse to New Ulm Quarry segment abandoned
- 1986: Winona to Rapid City route, and New Ulm Quarry spur sold to Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad amid C&NW abandonment proposals
- 2008: DM&E purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway and operated as a subsidiary
- 2014: CP sells Tracy, Minnesota to Rapid City, South Dakota to Genesee Wyoming owned Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad
- 2008-Present: Canadian Pacific (DM&E) operates the Winona to Waseca segment as the Waseca Subdivision
- 2008-Present: Canadian Pacific (DM&E) operates the Waseca to Tracy segment as the Tracy Subdivision
- 2014-Present: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern operates the Tracy to Huron segment as the Huron Subdivision
- 2014-Present: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern operates the Huron to Pierre segment as the Pierre Subdivision
- 2014-Present: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern operates the Pierre to Rapid City segment as the PRC Subdivision
06/26/21
Located in Fort Pierre, this massive bridge is the 12th crossing of the Bad River along this route.
Built in late 1924 to replace an earlier wooden Howe Through Truss, this bridge features a single riveted Quadrangular Through Truss span, approached by trestle spans on either side.
The main trusses follow a standardized design for this time period, including A-Frame portal bracing and heavy stringers. The main spans rest on concrete substructures.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. It can easily be seen from parallel Bad River Road.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design. In addition, this bridge has received a lower rating due to the high number of significant trusses in Western South Dakota.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from nearby roads.
| Upstream | RCP&E Bad River Bridge #11 |
| Downstream | RCP&E Bad River Bridge #13 |