RCP&E Plum Creek Bridge

In 1879, the Chicago and Dakota Railway (C&D) completed 46 miles of new railroad from Tracy, Minnesota to Elkhorn, South Dakota. At Tracy, the line connected to an existing railroad owned by the Winona and Saint Peter Railway (W&StP), which was being leased by the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW). At the same time, the Dakota Central Railway (DC) completed an additional 25 miles from Elkhorn to Volga, South Dakota in 1879. In 1880, 184 additional miles would be completed by DC to Pierre. The C&D would come under control of the Chicago & North Western Railway in 1881, and the C&D, DC and W&StP would all be merged into the C&NW in 1900.
In 1905, Native American land west of the Missouri River opened to settlement and development. The C&NW immediately began working on a new line to reach the Black Hills. In 1906, 76 miles would be completed from Ft. Pierre to Philip by the Pierre, Rapid City and North Western Railway (PRC&NW), with 44 additional miles were completed by the same company between Rapid City and Wasta that year. In 1907, the bridge across the Missouri River at Pierre and 3 miles of track would be completed by the Pierre & Ft. Pierre Bridge Railway, and the remaining 44 miles would be completed from Philip to Wasta by the PRC&NW. The PRC&NW and Pierre & Ft. Pierre Bridge Railway were both funded and controlled by the C&NW, and would later be fully incorporated.

The C&NW operated the route between Winona and Rapid City as the main line of the Dakota Division, eventually operating the passenger train the "Dakota 400" over the route. As the line became less profitable in the 1970s and 1980s, the C&NW was considering abandoning the route. In 1986, the line between Winona and Rapid City would be sold to the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad. The DM&E would be purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) in 2008. In 2014, the DM&E entered into an agreement with the Genesee & Wyoming owned Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad (RCP&E) to sell 670 miles of track. Today, RCP&E operates the segment between Pierre and Rapid City, South Dakota as the PRC Subdivision.