The Winona Rail Bridge was a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

that spanned the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

between

Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...

, and Winona Junction in

Buffalo, Buffalo County, Wisconsin Buffalo is a town in Buffalo County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 705 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Bluff Siding and Marshland, and East Winona railroad junction, are located in the town. Geography ...

. It was built to link the Winona and St. Peter Railroad with the La Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott Railroad. Both railroads became part of the

Chicago and North Western Transportation Company The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

(C&NW). Parts of the bridge are still visible. The swing span was removed, but the box girder portion of the bridge still extends from

Latsch Island Latsch Island is an island located on the Mississippi River, and is part of the city of Winona, Minnesota. Latsch Island is best known for its off-the-grid counterculture houseboat ("boathouse") community, who occupy the eastern coastline of th ...

just downstream of the current Main Channel Bridge. Piers from the original 1871 bridge and the box girders are in the North Channel just downstream of the current North Channel Bridge.

History

Temporary bridge

On December 29, 1870, the Mississippi River was bridged by the first Winona Rail Bridge, a temporary bridge built in 4 days that connected with the La Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott Railroad. The La Crosse, Trempealeau & Prescott, another enterprise of the C&NW, chartered to build from a point across the river from Winona to connect with the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad at Winona Junction in Wisconsin near La Crosse. This connection allowed through railroad traffic from Chicago into Southern Minnesota, without having to ferry cars. It was the first train to cross the Mississippi above Dubuque, Iowa.

Swing bridge first day of operation incident

The permanent swing bridge was completed in May 1871. It partially collapsed when the bridge tender failed to secure the swing span on the first day of operation on May 26, 1871. The bridge was rebuilt and was reopened for traffic on January 16, 1872.

Milwaukee Road

The

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced financi ...

would use this bridge to reach its track in Minnesota until the construction of the

La Crosse Rail Bridge The La Crosse Rail Bridge is a swing bridge that spans the Mississippi River between La Crescent, Minnesota and La Crosse, Wisconsin. The first bridge in this location initially was designed and ready to build by June 1876, and was completed i ...

by 1876.

Replacements

The swing span was replaced in 1899. The entire bridge was reconstructed by C&NW in 1928, replacing the through-truss approach spans with plate girder spans.

Retirement

The bridge was no longer used by 1977 and the swing span was removed in 1980. The Winona Subdivision of the Union Pacific is reached by trackage rights over the

References

External links

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Winona County, Minnesota Swing bridges in the United States Railroad bridges in Minnesota Bridges over the Mississippi River Bridges completed in 1871 Chicago and North Western Railway Demolished bridges in the United States Historic American Engineering Record in Minnesota Steel bridges in the United States Interstate railroad bridges in the United States Railroad bridges in Wisconsin Historic American Engineering Record in Wisconsin