MILW Goose Creek Bridge (Gladwin)

Gladwin, Louisa County, Iowa

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Cracking at center of arch. Later Milwaukee Road concrete arch bridges used a joint at this location to prevent cracking.

Blueprint of bridge. Courtesy of Milwaukee Road Archives at the Milwaukee Public Library; used with permission.

1/23

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Name	MILW Goose Creek Bridge (Gladwin) Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Bridge #I-1056
Built By	Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway
Currently Owned By	Private Owner
Builder	Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company Forces
Design Engineer	J.H. Prior
Length	147 Feet Total, 50 Foot Span
Width	1 Track (16 Feet)
Height Above Ground	25 Feet (Estimated)
Superstructure Design	Concrete Arch
Substructure Design	Concrete
Date Built	1908
Traffic Count	0 Trains/Day (Bridge is Abandoned)
Current Status	Abandoned
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Bridge Number	I-1056
Significance	Moderate Significance
Documentation Date	10/22/2016

In 1882, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway (Milwaukee Road) began construction on a new railroad line, extending from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Ottumwa, Iowa. The 40-mile line would be completed in 1884. By 1885, work was authorized to begin towards Kansas City, Missouri; a critical railroad hub in the Midwest. The extension opened in 1887, giving the Milwaukee Road a direct route between Chicago and Kansas City. The Milwaukee Road acquired and constructed a large amount of track throughout the Midwest during the 1870s and 1880s. At the Cedar Rapids suburb of Marion, the route connected to the Milwaukee Road mainline across Iowa. By the early 1900s, a direct connection to the Mississippi River town of Davenport was desired, and in 1901, the Rutledge Cutoff was completed. The cutoff extended from Rutledge, Iowa to Muscatine, Iowa, and allowed for a quicker way to access the Milwaukee Road facilities at Davenport, as well as shortened the travel time and distance from Chicago to Kansas City. Between Davenport and Muscatine, the railroad jointly owned a line with the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (Rock Island).

The Milwaukee Road operated this route as a principal mainline, and the line served as a primary connection between the two largest railroad hubs in the United States. The Milwaukee Road was often in financial trouble, especially after the costly Pacific Extension was completed in 1909. In 1925, the company declared bankruptcy, and reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1928. Significant upgrades were made to the line in the 1930s and 1940s, although the line remained single tracked. In 1930-1931, the Milwaukee Road and Rock Island reconstructed their lines from Polo, Missouri to Kansas City, abandoning much of the original line. A new bridge into Kansas City was completed in 1945, further improving operations. In 1980, the Rock Island went bankrupt, and the Milwaukee Road purchased the Davenport to Washington, Iowa line; abandoning their own line between Washington and Muscatine. By 1985, a suitor for the Milwaukee Road was being sought, and the Soo Line Railroad, controlled by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) purchased the Milwaukee Road in 1986. In 1997, CP sold this line to I&M Rail Link, which later sold it to Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad (IC&E), a subsidiary of Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E). In 2008, DM&E and IC&E were purchased by CP. CP merged with Kansas City Southern Railway in 2023 to form CPKC, the current owner of this route. The CPKC operates the Ottumwa Subdivision between Davenport and Ottumwa, the Laredo Subdivision between Ottumwa and Laredo, Missouri; as well as the Kansas City Subdivision between Laredo and Kansas City. The route between Polo and Kansas City is shared with Union Pacific Railroad, which eventually acquired the former Rock Island line. This route now forms the principal mainline of the CPKC system, and traffic is expected to increase significantly over the coming years.

Located west of Gladwin, this large concrete arch bridge carries an abandoned Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) mainline over Goose Creek. The first bridge at this location was likely a timber pile trestle bridge, constructed when the line was first built. During the early years of the 20th Century, the Milwaukee Road made significant upgrades to this line, replacing timber bridges with concrete and steel structures. In addition, the Milwaukee Road was beginning to design and construct large concrete arch structures during this era, which were thought to be more durable and cost effective than steel bridges. Work on the bridge began in September 1907, and was completed in October 1908. Currently, the bridge consists of a massive 50-foot concrete arch span, constructed for one track at a width of 16 feet. In addition, the bridge uses lengthy abutment walls on either end, giving the structure a total length of 147 feet. The superstructure follows a standard design, with a semicircular arch ring that was constructed separately from the spandrel walls and becomes wider near the base. Each end is approached by large concrete walls, which form the abutments. At the ends of the arch, a decorative bump-out is present, which separates the main structure from the abutment walls. The substructure uses a standard design, and is founded on timber piles. This bridge also does not contain a vertical expansion joint in the center of the spandrel walls, which has resulted in severe cracking. It is believed that the cracking became apparent soon after the bridge was completed, and a grooved expansion joint was included on later bridges. Typical of concrete bridges from this era, the bridge was constructed by labor employed by the Milwaukee Road Bridge & Building Department. Concrete arch spans became popular for railroad use in the early 20th Century, as they were cost effective, durable and easy to construct. The Milwaukee Road used these types of spans extensively for large waterway crossings, particularly in situations where a steel bridge would be tall and require large abutments. During the early 20th Century, the Milwaukee Road used company labor almost exclusively to construct concrete bridges and culverts, as the company found this arrangement to be more cost effective than constructing masonry by contract. Since the initial construction, the bridge has seen no significant alterations. After the railroad was abandoned, the bridge reverted to private ownership, and now appears to be occasionally used as a driveway. Overall, the bridge appears to be in fair to poor condition, with significant spalling and cracking throughout the structure. The author has ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, as this bridge is an early example of an exceptionally large Milwaukee Road concrete arch.

Citations

Build date	Date stamp
Railroad History Citation	ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele