- 1871: 13 miles completed from Northline (Hudson) to New Richmond, Wisconsin by the North Wisconsin Railway
- 1874: 25 miles completed from New Richmond to Clayton, Wisconsin by the North Wisconsin Railway
- 1878: 18 miles completed from Clayton to Cumberland, Wisconsin by the North Wisconsin Railway
- 1879: 26 miles completed from Cumberland to Spooner, Wisconsin by the North Wisconsin Railway
- 1880: North Wisconsin Railway acquired by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway ("Omaha Road")
- 1880: 9 miles completed from Spooner to Trego, Wisconsin by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
- 1880: 43 miles completed from Trego to Cable, Wisconsin by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
- 1881: 4 miles completed northeast of Cable by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
- 1882: 26 miles completed from Cable to Mason, Wisconsin by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
- 1883: 28 miles completed from Cable to Bayfield, Wisconsin by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
- 1883: 4 miles completed from Ashland Junction to Ashland, Wisconsin by the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
- 1883: The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway is controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1957: The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway is leased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1972: The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway is fully absorbed by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1978: The Hayward to Bayfield segment is abandoned
- 1980: The Trego-Hayward segment is sold, and becomes part of the Canadian National Railway by 2001
- 1981: The Northline to Spooner segment is abandoned
- 1980-present: Various municipalities and counties have purchased sections of the right-of-way for trail use, but there is not a continuous trail
- 1997-present: The Wisconsin Great Northern, a tourist railroad, operates 26 miles of track between Trego and Hayward
- 2001-present: Canadian National owns the Trego-Hayward line, and uses it to access industry in Hayward
06/16/22
This large abandoned through truss bridge crosses the Namekagon River south of Hayward.
Built in 1892, this large Quadrangular Through Truss span follows a standardized design seen at other places throughout the Omaha Road system.
The bridge consists of the main riveted span, set onto stone abutments.
Canadian National Railway currently owns this bridge. Wisconsin Central purchased this small stub from Hayward Junction to Hayward after the C&NW abandoned this route.
Overall, the truss remains in fair to good condition. It is hoped that if this route is ever abandoned, the route would become a trail.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the old age and truss design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | Hayward Rail Bridge |
| Downstream | CN Namekagon River Bridge |