- 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 near the ghost town of Capa is a unique truss with an equally unique back story.
While South Dakota may have a number of Quadrangular Through Truss bridges, few have a relocation history.
Many frugal railroads believed heavily in relocating bridges from main lines to branch lines as a form of recycling. When a bridge at Winona, Minnesota was replaced in 1927 and 1928, 11 truss spans would be relocated to the Black Hills Division.
This span is believed to have originally been constructed in Winona in 1885. It is a prime example of a "Winona Type A" span.
Featuring a slight skew, a pedimented portal bracings and significantly more vertical endposts, five of these spans were originally constructed at Winona.
Measuring in at 159 Feet 8 Inches long, approximately 10 similar spans exist or have existed along the Black Hills Division of the C&NW. Interestingly enough, the Winona bridge only produced five spans of this design, meaning several more were relocated from other locations.
While purely speculative, the author believes the other identical spans were located along the Iowa Division. This span has been able to be confirmed as a Winona span, due to the slight skew on one end.
When erected here in 1928, the bridge replaced an earlier wooden Howe Truss, constructed in 1907.
Currently, the bridge sits on steel tube substructures and is approached by trestle spans on either side.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. During the Canadian Pacific days, the bridge was rehabilitated by replacing some rivets.
Identical trusses in the region include the 1st, 3rd, 9th, 13th and 14th crossings of the Bad River, as well as a bridge at Wasta.
The author has ranked this bridge as being highly significant, due to the relocation history and age.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from nearby roads.
| Upstream | RCP&E Bad River Bridge #6 |
| Downstream | RCP&E Bad River Bridge #8 |