- 1871: 28 miles completed from Minneapolis to Merriam Junction, Minnesota by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway
- 1871: 65 miles completed from Northwood to Ackley, Iowa by the Central Railroad Company of Iowa
- 1878: 93 miles completed from Merriam Junction to the Iowa/Minnesota border by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway, trackage rights granted to Northwood
- 1878: Central Railroad Company of Iowa sold to Central Iowa Railway
- 1889: Central Iowa Railway sold to the Iowa Central Railway
- 1895: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1901: Iowa Central Railway controlled by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- 1902: Realignment and reconstruction of "Chaska Hill" between Hopkins, Minnesota and Chaska, Minnesota
- 1912: Iowa Central Railway sold to the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad
- Ca. 1920: Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad reorganizes as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway
- 1960: Minneapolis & St. Louis purchased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1970: Manly, Iowa to Mason City, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1984: Montgomery, Minnesota to Waseca, Minnesota segment abandoned
- 1986: Waseca, Minnesota to Hartland, Minnesota segment sold to Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad
- 1988: Hampton, Iowa to Ackley, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1990: Rockwell, Iowa to Sheffield, Iowa segment abandoned
- 1991: Minneapolis, Minnesota to Chaska, Minnesota segment abandoned and purchased by Hennepin and Carver Counties
- 1995: C&NW purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 2001: Sheffield, Iowa to Hampton, Iowa segment abandoned
- 2008: Merriam Junction to Chaska, Minnesota segment abandoned following trestle collapse in 2007
- 2008: DM&E purchased by the Canadian Pacific Railway
- 2008: Hartland, Minnesota to Albert Lea, Minnesota segment abandoned
- 2011: Minnesota River Bridge at Carver removed, Chaska to Merriam segment purchased by Carver and Scott Counties
- 1991-Present: Minnesota River Bluffs Trail and Cedar Lake Trail operate on the railroad grade between Minneapolis and Chaska
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Montgomery Subdivision between Merriam Junction and Montgomery
- 2022-Present: High Line Trail being developed through Mason City
06/26/21
This small through girder bridge crosses Porter Creek.
Built in 1902, the bridge features a single through girder span. This span rests on stone and concrete abutments, built in 1898.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition. Some corrosion has begun below the deck.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.