This company would be acquired by the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad, who operated the existing mainline at Milton.
In 1857, the line would be extended to Monroe by the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad.
In 1861, the railroad became a part of the Milwaukee and Prairie Du Chein Railroad, and by 1867 would join the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway.
The line would change hands again in 1874, when it became part of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, nicknamed the Milwaukee Road.
The Milwaukee Road had acquired several charter lines, to build an empire throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota.
This line was a simple spur that dead ended at Monroe.
By 1881, it was found that Southwest Wisconsin was a great hub for lead mining, crop production and livestock. This lead to an abundance of branch lines in the area.
This line would be extended to Schullsburg, where it would meet up with another line at Gratiot.
In 1912, the railroad was renamed the Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific Railway.
In addition to the stem, the line also had a number of branches to it.
The first of these branches was built in 1857 from Warren, Illinois to Mineral Point, Wisconsin by the Mineral Point Railroad Company. This line went through Gratiot. This was known as the Mineral Point Branch.
It was quickly extended to Platteville. This was known as the Platteville Branch
This railroad became a part of the Dubuque, Platteville and Milwaukee Railroad in 1880, and purchased in turn by the Milwaukee Road.
In 1880, the Milwaukee Road built a branch from Brodhead to Albany, and it was extended in 1887 to New Glarus. This was known as the New Glarus Branch
While this system of railroads seemed strong, as the mining died down, these branches began to fall out of favor.
The first stub was abandoned in 1923, and was the Gratiot to Warren section. In the 1950s, the Shullsburg-Gratiot Line would be abandoned.
The next section came in 1972, and was the New Glarus Branch.
Finally, during the reorganization of the Milwaukee Road during bankruptcy in 1980, the Platteville, Mineral Point and stem west Janesville would be abandoned.
These lines would be purchased by the State of Wisconsin in 1980, and the Central Wisconsin Railroad would operate them until around 1985, when they were finally torn up west of Monroe.
In 1992, the Wisconsin Southern would take over the Central Wisconsin Railroad (later Wisconsin and Calumet) from Milton to Janesville.
The remaining line has become a trail. From Monroe to Mineral Point is now the Cheese Country Trail. Calamine to Belmont is the Pecatonica River Trail, and the New Glarus Branch is the Sugar River Trail.
10/25/22
Located just west of Janesville, this tall girder bridge crosses Fisher Creek in Rockport Park.
Originally built in 1894, the bridge was first built of three deck girder spans on iron piers. In 1909, the bridge was substantially altered, and spans from Bridge #A-174 were installed to strengthen the bridge. The additional girders were originally fabricated 1892.
At this time, it is believed that the 40 foot span was also added. Unfortunately, the history on this span is currently unknown.
Currently, the bridge consists of three deck plate girder spans, which have been "twinned", set onto concrete substructures. Twinning was often used to strengthen older bridges for modern traffic.
The bridge was extensively rehabilitated in 2014, with a new deck and encased piers.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition, with no significant deterioration noted.
The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the older age.
The photo above is an overview.