- 1887: 126 miles completed from Rhinelander, Wisconsin to Gladstone, Michigan by Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie & Atlantic Railway
- 1888: 148 miles completed from Gladstone to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan by Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie & Atlantic Railway
- 1888: MSSM&A acquired by Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railway
- 1961: MStP&SSM merged with Wisconsin Central Railway and Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway to form Soo Line Railroad
- 1984: Soo Line Corporation created by Canadian Pacific Railway as a holding company
- 1987: Route sold to Wisconsin Central, Ltd
- 2001: Canadian National Railway acquires Wisconsin Central, Ltd
- 2003: Rhinelander-Goodman segment sold to Fox Valley & Lake Superior Railroad
- 2001-Present: Canadian National operates the Goodman-North Escanaba segment of this route as the Pembine Subdivision
- 2001-Present: Canadian National operates the North Escanaba-Sault Ste. Marie segment of this route as the Manistique Subdivision. Minnesota Transportation Museum operates passenger excursions on the route
- 2022-Present: Fox Valley & Lake Superior owns the out of service Rhinelander-Goodman segment
06/26/21
This large and iconic deck truss bridge crosses the Escanaba River between Escanaba and Wells, Michigan.
The bridge is located just upstream of the formerly more significant Escanaba Rail Bridge, which was demolished in 2015.
Fortunately, this bridge still remains. It contains 5 large 5-panel riveted Warren Deck Trusses. These are approached by 4 spans of deck girder on the west side.
These trusses were likely built by the Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company, although no proof has been presented of this.
However, the deck girders were confirmed as being built by the Lassig Branch of the American Bridge Company.
The bridge is very easy to photograph from a nearby road. It rests on concrete substructures.
It appears to be in nearly pristine condition too.
The author has ranked the bridge with moderate significance because of the unusual and large string of trusses. Large sets of trusses, especially at this age are not commonly seen in the Upper Peninsula.
The photo above is an overview.