At McFarland, the line connected to a mainline, which was being constructed at the same time. This branch line connected to Manhattan, and many other cities in the Big Blue River region.
By 1891, the route became part of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway; which had acquired a massive amount of lines throughout the Midwest, extending as far as Illinois.
Despite having several desirable and highly profitable routes, the Rock Island oftentimes found itself in severe economic depression. This finally killed the Rock Island in 1980, and all operations ceased.
While several of the mainlines were reborn as other routes, this line would permanently stay closed.
In 2017, there are little remains of this branch line, other than a trail in Manhattan.
06/26/21
Located in Manhattan, this is the southern crossing of Wildcat Creek on the Linear Trail.
Little is known about the history of the bridge. It appears the main span was built approximately 1910, reusing previous substructures. When the current bridge was built, it appears the north abutment was built reusing an older stone pier.
After the abandonment, it appears this bridge was the victim of some illegal scrapping. Massive floor beams and stringers were clearly cut out, almost certainly illegally. When the bridge was converted to trail use, the floor was extensively reconstructed.
In addition, pieces of the girders were also cut out, and have since been covered with a metal mesh. It is unfortunate that private individuals believe they have the right to scrap abandoned bridges, as they are often owned by others, and in cases such as this, public tax dollars are used to rebuild the bridge. The reconstruction of the floor almost certainly added significant amounts of money to the conversion to a trail.
Overall, the bridge appears to be in good condition. Because the valley below is so steep, no good side views of this bridge could be had.
The author has ranked this bridge as being locally significant, due to the common design.
The photo above is an overview. The author hopes to find more information on this structure.