CNW Des Moines River Bridge (Moingona)

Located east of Moingona, this through truss bridge once carried a Chicago & North Western Railway line across the Des Moines River. Originally, the C&NW mainline between Boone and Ogden turned southwest at Boone, following Honey Creek to its mouth at the Des Moines River opposite of Moingona, crossed the Des Moines River at this location, and turned northwest to reach Ogden. This route required harsh grades, sharp curves and eight crossings of Honey Creek. The first bridge at this location consisted of a timber Howe through truss bridge, set onto stone piers. This bridge opened in 1867 when the line was first completed. The bridge was renewed with another wooden Howe through truss bridge in 1876. As traffic over the line grew in the late 1870s and early 1880s, the C&NW made significant upgrades to the line, replacing timber bridges with stone and iron structures. In 1882, the wooden trusses were replaced with combination Howe through truss spans, which reused the stone piers from the previous bridge. Combination trusses were constructed using wooden compression members and iron rods for the tension members. By the late 19th Century, wooden trusses had become obsolete for mainline railroad use. Between 1893 and 1894, the bridge was completely rebuilt with new stone piers and steel truss and girder spans. In 1917 and 1918, the three center piers were encased with concrete, giving the structure its final configuration.

The bridge consisted of a 200-foot, 8-panel, pin-connected Parker through truss west span and a 160-foot, 6-panel, pin-connected Pratt through truss east span. Each end was approached by two 80-foot deck plate girder spans, and the entire bridge was set onto stone piers and abutments. The three center piers were encased in concrete, likely to repair damage from flooding. The truss spans were heavily constructed for the era, with heavy built-up members and a standard floor. Both trusses made use of X-laced and V-laced members for the endposts, top chords and vertical posts. The diagonal members and bottom chord were composed of eyebars. The portal bracing used a lattice style with a crested plate. The deck plate girder spans used a standard design, with two heavy plate girders and an open deck. All piers were constructed using a diamond shape, and the abutments were constructed with stepped wing walls extending diagonally from the bridge. Stone for the bridge consisted of a yellow limestone, possibly quarried at Mankato, Minnesota. An unknown contractor fabricated the superstructure, while additional unknown contractors constructed the substructures and completed the concrete encasements. Pratt through truss spans were arguably the most popular railroad truss bridge design in the second half of the 19th Century, due to the simplicity, strength and economy. Parker trusses developed from the Pratt design in the late 1880s and early 1890s, as the design allowed for longer spans without significantly more material. The C&NW ceased operations over this line in 1930, and residents of Boone County sought to turn the railroad grade from Boone to Ogden into a scenic drive to honor Kate Shelley. Due to the Great Depression, these plans fell through, and the bridges were removed by Strobel Steel Construction Company in September 1933. While the trusses were almost certainly scrapped, it is unclear if the girders were reused elsewhere. Today, all that remains are the stone and concrete substructures, which are easily accessible from the west side. If the bridge were still standing, the author would have ranked this bridge as being moderately significant, due to the common design.

Perhaps the most famous railroad event in Iowa took place at this location. Throughout the day of July 6, 1881; severe thunderstorms caused a rapid rise in Honey Creek, threatening several bridges along this line. At approximately 11 PM, a crew was sent east from Moingona to check track conditions. Unknown to the crew, flooding had badly damaged several pilings supporting the timber bridge immediately east of this bridge. When the train reached the trestle, it collapsed, sending the locomotive and four crew members into Honey Creek. A 15-year-old girl named Kate Shelley, who lived near the bridge, heard the collapse and went to the scene. There, she found the two surviving crew members and knew an eastbound passenger train was due in Moingona around midnight. Armed with a lantern, the young girl braved a storm to alert the station agent at Moingona that the Honey Creek bridge had collapsed. On the way, her lantern went out, and she was forced to crawl across the Des Moines River bridge using only light from the lightning flashes. She reached the station at Moingona in time to stop the train, and the two surviving crew members were rescued soon after. By the following day, news of her bravery had spread through the United States. As a reward for her bravery, passengers, the railroad company and the State of Iowa rewarded her with medals, money and supplies.

Later in life, her bravery had not been forgotten. When the Shelley land had been mortgaged, Chicagoans donated the money required to keep the land in her family. Kate Shelley worked various odd jobs in the 1890s and early 1900s, including as a menial at the Iowa State Capitol and as a school teacher. When the new double track viaduct opened in 1901, it became known as the Kate Shelley Bridge. Shelley was reportedly in attendance at the opening ceremonies of the viaduct. In 1903, she was hired as the station agent at the Moingona depot, a job she held for the rest of her life. Kate Shelley died in 1912, but the story of her bravery in 1881 remained an important piece of Iowa folklore. The Chicago & North Western Railway operated the "Kate Shelley 400" between Chicago and Boone in the early 1950s. Timetables for the C&NW west suburban commuter service and its successor the Metra UP-W line used and continue to use "Kate Shelley Rose" as an honor to her. When the 1901-era viaduct was replaced with a new viaduct in 2009, the viaduct was also named in honor of her. Today, the Moingona Depot has been preserved as a museum dedicated to her bravery.