C&NW L Avenue Bridge

Between 1882 and 1883, the Central Iowa Railway Company (CIR) constructed 85 miles of new railroad , extending from Peoria, Illinois to Keithsburg, Illinois.  Also in 1882, the Chicago, Burlington & Pacific Railroad (CB&P) constructed 98 miles of new railroad, extending from Oskaloosa, Iowa to the west bank of the Mississippi River opposite of Keithsburg.  The CB&P would be consolidated into the CIR in early 1882, and the CIR would complete the work. The two railroads would be joined in 1886, when the Keithsburg Bridge Company constructed a bridge across the Mississippi River.  The CIR was sold to the Iowa Central Railway (ICR) in 1888, and the Keithsburg Bridge Company would be sold to the ICR in 1901.  In 1902, the ICR would be leased by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad (M&StL). The M&StL would acquire the ICR in 1912, and the M&StL would later reorganize as the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway (M&StL) in approximately 1920.

The M&StL had developed a modest sized railroad network in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois; primarily connecting Minneapolis to agricultural markets in Iowa.  This line formed the eastern mainline of the M&StL, and provided the small railroad with a connection to terminals along the Illinois River at Peoria.  The M&StL was often in financial trouble, and would be purchased by the Chicago & North Western (C&NW) in 1960. The C&NW operated their own line to Peoria, and this line quickly fell out of favor.  The line was abandoned between Oskaloosa and Keithsburg in 1971, followed by the Keithsburg to Middle Grove, Illinois segment in 1976.  The C&NW was purchased by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1995.  The segment between Middle Grove and Peoria would be abandoned in 2008, leaving only a short segment at Oskaloosa still in operation.  Today, Union Pacific Railroad continues to operate a short segment of track at Oskaloosa.  The bridge across the Mississippi River is still largely intact, although portions of the bridge have been removed.