- 1857: 44 miles completed from Clinton to Wheatland, Iowa by the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad
- 1858: 20 miles completed from Wheatland to Lisbon, Iowa by the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad
- 1859: 17 miles completed from Lisbon to Cedar Rapids, Iowa by the Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad
- 1861: 41 miles completed from Cedar Rapids to Belle Plaine, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1861: 41 miles completed from Cedar Rapids to Chelsea, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1862: 29 miles completed from Chelsea to Marshalltown, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1864: 29 miles completed from Marshalltown to Nevada, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1865: 29 miles completed from Nevada to Boone, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1867: 150 miles completed from Boone to Council Bluffs, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1867: 6 miles completed from Missouri Valley to California Junction, Iowa by the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad
- 1884: CI&N and CR&MR officially acquired by Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1887: 6 miles completed from Beverly to Otis, Iowa bypassing Cedar Rapids by the Linn County Railway
- 1887: Linn County Railway acquired by Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1891-98: Second track constructed between Clinton and Cedar River
- 1898-1900: Second track constructed between Cedar River and Mashalltown
- 1898-1901: New alignment completed between Boone and Ogden, Iowa; including the Des Moines River Bridge
- 1900-02: Second track constructed between Marshalltown and Council Bluffs
- 1933: Old route via Moingona between Boone and Ogden abandoned
- 1995: Chicago & North Western purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Clinton Subdivision between Clinton and Boone
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Boone Subdivision between Boone and Missouri Valley
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the Omaha Subdivision between Missouri Valley and Council Bluffs
06/16/22
This heavy duty two span through truss was built in 1912, replacing a pair of older through trusses which were built side by side. A picture of these is above.
The bridge is tough to access, unless one has a willingness to climb through tall weeds. The bridge is at the end of an access road, which has since been labeled as private property.
As a reminder, trespassing on the bridge is extremely dangerous and should never be attempted.
The two span through truss includes an M-Frame portal bracing, riveted connections and concrete substructures.
Today, the bridge has been recently repaired, but is in good condition. Some repairs include repairing the pier and repaired connections.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the large scale design.
Spans of the previous bridge were likely relocated to other locations, including Wisconsin.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | MILW Wapsipinicon River Bridge (Olin) |
| Downstream | DM&E Wapsipinicon River Bridge |