- 1867: 10 miles completed between Tomah and Warren, Wisconsin by the West Wisconsin Railway
- 1868: 21 miles completed between Warren and Black River Falls, Wisconsin by the West Wisconsin Railway
- 1869: 34 miles completed between Black River Falls and Augusta, Wisconsin by the West Wisconsin Railway
- 1870: 46 miles completed between Augusta and Eau Claire, Wisconsin by the West Wisconsin Railway
- 1871: 44 miles completed between Eau Claire and Hudson, Wisconsin by the West Wisconsin Railway
- 1871: 18 miles completed between St. Paul and Stillwater, Minnesota by the St. Paul, Stillwater & Taylors Falls Railroad
- 1871: 4 miles including St. Croix River Bridge completed between Stillwater Junction, Minnesota and Hudson, Wisconsin by the St. Paul, Stillwater & Taylors Falls Railroad
- 1872: 32 miles completed between Elroy and Warren, Wisconsin by the West Wisconsin Railway
- 1872: 10 miles abandoned between Warren and Tomah, Wisconsin by the West Wisconsin Railway
- 1878: West Wisconsin Railway acquired by Chicago, St. Paul & Minneapolis Railway
- 1880: Chicago, St. Paul & Minneapolis Railway acquired by Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
- 1880: St. Paul, Stillwater & Taylors Falls Railroad acquired by St. Paul & Sioux City Railroad
- 1881: St. Paul & Sioux City Railroad acquired by Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
- 1881: New St. Croix River Bridge and realignment at Hudson
- 1883: The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway is controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1884: 16 miles completed between Wyeville and Necedah, Wisconsin by the Princeton and Western Railway
- 1902: Realignment around Black River Falls to reduce grades
- 1911: 125 miles completed from Necedah to Butler, Wisconsin by the Milwaukee, Sparta & North Western Railway
- Connection at Wyeville allows for faster travel between the Twin Cities, Milwaukee and Chicago
- 1911: Second track completed from Wyeville to Menomonie, including realignment at Eau Claire
- 1912: Second track completed from Menomonie to Knapp
- 1912: Princeton and Western acquired by the Milwaukee, Sparta & North Western Railway
- 1912: MS&NW acquired by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1913: Second track completed from Knapp to St. Paul
- 1915: Original bridge at Black River Falls removed
- 1957: The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway is leased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1957-62: Second track mostly removed from Wyeville to St. Paul
- 1971: Sheppard to Black River Falls spur abandoned
- 1972: The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway is fully absorbed by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1986: Levis to Black River Falls spur abandoned
- 1987: Camp Douglas to Elroy segment abandoned and purchased by Juneau County for trail use
- 1992: Omaha Trail opens between Camp Douglas and Elroy
- 1992: Original alignment through Eau Claire is abandoned
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 2015: Original bridge at Eau Claire opens to pedestrians
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Altoona Subdivision from St. Paul to Altoona
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Wyeville Subdivision from Altoona to Adams
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific owns the Camp Douglas Industrial Lead from Wyeville to Camp Douglas
06/26/21
This three span deck girder crosses Carr Creek and County Road D on the north side of Woodville.
Built in 1912, the bridge features a trio of deck girder spans. The outer spans consist of standard sized spans, while the center span is approximately two feet shallower than the outer spans. In addition, the center span features an arrangement of four girders per track, likely related to the less deep design. The entire bridge sits on concrete substructures.
The rationale for building the center span shallower was to increase clearance underneath. At one time, a branch of the Omaha Road ran to Emerald, approximately 10 miles north. The route was abandoned in 1930, although the grade remained intact until the 1940s.
This bridge was built as the result of a large alignment change around Woodville. The initial routing had been constructed in 1871, and was upgraded in 1891. The new two mile double track cutoff was built 1912, and bypassed going through Woodville directly.
The 1912 upgrades were part of a series of improvements between St. Paul and Chicago, which included the construction of new alignments, revised grades and a second track the entire length.
Unfortunately, this bridge does not appear to be in good condition. Numerous steel components have section loss, and the substructures show age with massive cracks and spalls.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview. The bridge can be accessed from the road it crosses.