- 1865: 22 miles completed from Mendota to Merriam Junction, Minnesota by the Minnesota Valley Railway Company
- 1866: 17 miles completed from Merriam Junction to Belle Plaine, Minnesota by the Minnesota Valley Railway Company
- 1867: 16 miles completed from Belle Plaine to Le Sueur, Minnesota by the Minnesota Valley Railway Company
- 1868: 12 miles completed from Le Sueur to Kasota, Minnesota by the Minnesota Valley Railway Company
- 1869: 5 miles completed from Mendota to St. Paul, Minnesota by the Minnesota Valley Railway Company
- 1869: 22 miles completed from Kasota to Lake Crystal, Minnesota by the Minnesota Valley Railway Company
- 1869: 22 miles completed from Lake Crystal to St. James, Minnesota by the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad
- 1869: 22 miles completed from Lake Crystal to St. James, Minnesota by the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad
- 1870: Minnesota Valley Railway purchased by the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad
- 1871: 58 miles completed from St. James to Worthington, Minnesota by the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad
- 1872: 64 miles completed from Worthington to Le Mars, Iowa by the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad
- 1881: StP&SC sold to the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway
- 1882: CStPM&O leased by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1882: CStPM&O acquired by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1995: C&NW purchased by Union Pacific Railroad
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the St. Paul to St. James segment as the Mankato Subdivision
- 1995-Present: Union Pacific operates the St. James to Sioux City segment as the Worthington Subdivision
06/26/21
Located west of Madelia, this deck girder bridge crosses the Watonwan River.
Built in 1923 to replace an older truss, the current bridge consists of two deck girder spans set onto concrete substructures. The bridge was considerably shortened during reconstruction.
This deck girder appears to have massive spans, and the remains of the older bridge were removed at time of construction.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair condition. The structural steel shows little sign of deterioration, although the west abutment has a significant fracture in it.
The author has ranked the bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview.