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| Name | BNSF Bridge #78.56 Great Northern Railway Bridge #142 |
| Built By | Willmar & Sioux Falls Railway |
| Currently Owned By | BNSF Railway |
| Superstructure Contractor | Downs & Sons of Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Length | 8 Feet Total |
| Width | 1 Track (47 Feet) |
| Height Above Ground | 10 Feet (Estimated) |
| Superstructure Design | Stone Arch Culvert |
| Substructure Design | Stone Masonry |
| Date Built | 1900 |
| Traffic Count | 10 Trains/Day (Estimated) |
| Current Status | In Use |
| Great Northern Railway Bridge Number | 142 |
| BNSF Railway Bridge Number | 78.56 |
| Significance | Local Significance |
| Documentation Date | 4/1/2018 |
In 1887, the Willmar and Sioux Falls Railway Company (W&SF) began construction on a new 147 mile railroad line between Willmar, Minnesota and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Construction would be completed by 1888. The following year, the Sioux City and Northern Railroad (SCN) Company began construction on 96 miles of new railroad, starting at Garretson, South Dakota and extending south to Sioux City, Iowa. An additional extension would be made in 1893, when the Sioux Falls, Yankton and South Western Railway Company (SFY&SW) constructed 58 miles of new railroad to Yankton, South Dakota. The SFY&SW would be sold to the W&SF in 1893, and the SCN would be sold to the W&SF in 1900. In 1907, Great Northern Railway (GN) purchased the W&SF. GN built and acquired an extensive railroad network throughout Minnesota.
GN operated this route as a mainline. The Sioux City leg of the route provided an important and competitive connection for stock yards at Sioux City to the Twin Cities. In 1970, GN merged with rival Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad to form Burlington Northern Railroad. The segment between Yankton and Irene was abandoned in 1981, and the segment between Irene and Sioux Falls was abandoned in 1982. BN was in turn merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in 1996, to form BNSF Railway. BNSF currently operates the Marshall Subdivision over the Willmar to Sioux City segment of this line, and the Corson Subdivision over the Garretson to Sioux Falls segment of this line.
Located along Minnesota Highway 23 southwest of Russell, this small stone arch culvert carries a former Great Northern Railway mainline over an unnamed creek. The first bridge at this location likely consisted of a timber pile trestle. In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, the GN made significant upgrades to this line, replacing some timber bridges with new stone and concrete culverts. The present structure was constructed during the 1900 construction season. Currently, the culvert consists of an 8-foot stone arch culvert, set onto stone substructures and constructed at a width of 47 feet. The culvert follows a standard design, with a semicircular arch and stepped wing walls extending diagonally from the structure. The culvert is constructed of a pink quartzite, which was quarried at Garretson, South Dakota. Several bridges and culverts along this line are constructed with a similar stone. The structure was constructed by Downs & Sons, which had the contract for all of the stone culverts and bridges along the Willmar and Sioux Falls Division in 1900. Since the initial construction, the culvert has seen no significant alterations, and remains in regular use. Overall, the culvert appears to be in good condition, with no significant deterioration noted. The author has ranked the culvert as being locally significant, due to the common design.
Citations
| Build Date | Great Northern Railway Willmar Division Bridge Index, located at the Minnesota Historical Society |
| Builder | Minneapolis Daily Times; May 3, 1900 |
| Railroad History Citation | ICC Valuation Information, Compiled by Richard S. Steele |