UP McCandless Cleghorn Ditch Bridge

After the Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Railroad (CR&MR) completed a mainline across Iowa in 1867, several branch lines began to develop to connect Iowa to the CR&MR line.  In 1867, the Sioux City and Pacific Rail Road (SC&P) constructed a 50-mile railroad line, extending from California Junction, Iowa to Sloan, Iowa.  The following year, an additional 20 miles were completed to Sioux City, Iowa.  This line closely paralleled the Missouri River, and connected a major western Iowa city in Sioux City to the CR&MR mainline.  In September 1868, the railroad was reorganized, keeping the same name.  In the late 1860s, the SC&P constructed a handful of important branch lines in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska.  In 1873, the SC&P came under control of the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) although was maintained as a separate entity.  The C&NW had also purchased the CR&MR in the 1880s.

Throughout the late 19th Century, the C&NW had developed into a significant railroad network in the midwest, with lines radiating north and west from Chicago.  In particular, the C&NW developed dozens of secondary and branch lines in Iowa to serve agricultural industries and small towns. This line served as a mainline, connecting an existing C&NW mainline at California Junction to the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway (Omaha Road) mainline at Sioux City.  The Omaha Road was also controlled by the C&NW.  Between the 1880s and early 20th Century, the C&NW constructed several branch lines, which connected to this line at Mondamin, Iowa; Onawa, Iowa and Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.  In 1901, the C&NW purchased the SC&P and completed ownership of this line.  In the mid-20th Century, the branch lines were abandoned, but this line remained significant for connecting the C&NW mainline to the Omaha Road mainline.  In 1995, the C&NW was purchased by Union Pacific Railroad (UP).  Currently, UP owns this line and operates it as the Sioux City Subdivision.