- 1864: 50 miles completed from Winona to Rochester, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1865: 55 miles completed from Rochester to Waseca, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1867: W&StP is controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1870: 11 miles completed from Waseca to Janesville, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1871: 23 miles completed from Janesville to Mankato, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1872: 30 miles completed from Mankato to New Ulm, Minnesota via St. Peter by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1877: 62 miles completed from New Ulm to Tracy, Minnesota by the Winona & St. Peter Railway
- 1879: 46 miles completed from Tracy, Minnesota to Elkhorn, South Dakota by the Chicago and Dakota Railway
- 1879: 25 miles completed from Elkhorn to Volga, South Dakota by the Dakota Central Railway
- 1880: 184 miles completed from Volga to Pierre, South Dakota by the Dakota Central Railway
- 1881: Chicago and Dakota Railway controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1900: 26 miles completed from Mankato to New Ulm, Minnesota by the Mankato & New Ulm Railway
- 1900: The Winona & St. Peter, Chicago and Dakota, Dakota Central and Mankato & New Ulm Railway all are merged into the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1905: Native American land west of the Missouri River opened to settlement
- 1906: 76 miles completed from Ft. Pierre to Philip, South Dakota by the Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern Railway
- 1906: 45 miles completed from Rapid City to Wasta, South Dakota by the Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern Railway
- 1907: 3 miles completed from Pierre to Ft. Pierre, South Dakota by the Pierre & Ft. Pierre Bridge Railway, including the bridge across the Missouri River
- 1907: 44 miles completed from Pierre to Philip, South Dakota by the Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern Railway
- 1907: Pierre, Rapid City & Northwestern and the Pierre & Ft. Pierre Bridge Railway controlled by the Chicago & North Western Railway
- 1937: Burdette to Kasota segment abandoned
- 1957: Kasota to St. Peter segment abandoned, and Minnesota River Bridge removed
- 1963: St. Peter to Traverse segment abandoned
- 1970: Traverse to New Ulm Quarry segment abandoned
- 1986: Winona to Rapid City route, and New Ulm Quarry spur sold to Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad amid C&NW abandonment proposals
- 2008: DM&E purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway and operated as a subsidiary
- 2014: CP sells Tracy, Minnesota to Rapid City, South Dakota to Genesee Wyoming owned Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad
- 2008-Present: Canadian Pacific (DM&E) operates the Winona to Waseca segment as the Waseca Subdivision
- 2008-Present: Canadian Pacific (DM&E) operates the Waseca to Tracy segment as the Tracy Subdivision
- 2014-Present: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern operates the Tracy to Huron segment as the Huron Subdivision
- 2014-Present: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern operates the Huron to Pierre segment as the Pierre Subdivision
- 2014-Present: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern operates the Pierre to Rapid City segment as the PRC Subdivision
08/24/21
This crossing of the Mississippi was once an extremely significant and important crossing.
However, today it sits half removed and half abandoned, continuing to deteriorate.
The last bridge here was built in 1899 with a through truss swing span, and several through truss spans as approaches.
This bridge was however rebuilt with 32 spans of deck plate girder in 1928. These girder spans crossed into Wisconsin, after Island #72.
The bridge was built on a combination of stone and concrete substructures. The swing span featured riveted connections as well.
However, the C&NW would abandoned the line in 1977, and the bridge was removed shortly after.
Despite the removal, several spans remained for years to come. These included almost all of the 1928 deck girder spans.
Several of these spans would be removed at a later date and relocated to Minnesota City, where they now sit on private property.
Historic photo showing the 1899-1928 configuration. Photo credit Library of Congress
The photo above is an overview of some of the deck girder spans which remain.
The author has ranked the remaining spans as minimally significant, because of the age and partial destruction of the bridge. If the swing span was still in place, it would have recieved a higher rating.
| Upstream | Reeds Landing Rail Bridge |
| Downstream | Winona Rail Bridge (S) |