- 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
This unique bridge crosses the W. Fork Des Moines River in Windom. It is the first truss over what becomes a rather large river, flowing south towards Iowa.
The bridge was built in 1900 as a replacement to a nearly identical bridge that was destroyed in 1899 by a derailment.
After that bridge was cleaned up, an identical bridge was constructed at this location to replace the bridge. It contained two Quadrangular Through Truss spans (of different lengths), as well as a deck girder span on the south end.
The deck girder span would be filled in soon after the bridge was constructed. The substructures of the bridge are made of stone and concrete.
The author has ranked the bridge as being moderately significant, due to the common design seen on C&NW lines and the small scale implication of the design.
The photo above is an overview.
W. Fork Des Moines River Railroad Bridges
| Upstream | Currie Railroad Bridge |
| Downstream | Jackson Black Bridge |