Nostalgia & History > A Photo of a RR Bridge from a RR Bridge, 1925

This photograph and caption are from the Minnesota Historical Society's Online Collection.

View from Mendota Bridge of railroad bridge.
Place: Dakota County, Minnesota, United States
Subject: Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company
Dates Creation: Approximately 1925
ID Number: 8183-A


Mendota is a close-in southern suburb of the Twin Cities and is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. Lines of the Chicago and Northwestern and the Milwaukee Road crossed there. By the way the caption is written, the Milwaukee's bridge is the subject and thus the photographer was on the CNW's bridge. Maybe someone can confirm this.


Enjoy,
Marty Bernard



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/14 09:47 by MartyBernard.

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This is, indeed, the Milwaukees bridge at Mendota. The photographer is on the under construction Mendota highway bridge where Hwy. 55 crosses the Minnesota River. What look like crossties are part of the cement forms. The CNW does not have a bridge in the area, but crosses the Mississippi a couple miles downstream, and in this scene is located along the riverbank behind the trees in the background from left to right across the picture.

Both bridges span the Minnesota River, the Mississippi comes in from Minneapolis in the left foreground and continues downstream toward St. Paul in the left background.

Here's the view from beneath the bridge.

The Milwaukee bridge was removed in 1957.

-John



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/14 13:43 by LarryDoyle.

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Thanks, John, for confirming what I thought, although I was confused by the second railroad
bridge reference. We should add here that this was the Milwaukee's original line to Minneapolis
and points west. To the right of the top photo is the junction with the Austin line (IM&D
Division??) that was joint with the CMStP&O (CNW) from Chestnut Street to was it Cliff. The
Austin line is now severed in Egan, big mistake, and no longer active.

The highway bridge has long been a landmark in this area, although it's inadequate for today's
traffic. I rode over it many times as a youngster and drove over it while attending trade
school in Minneapolis and living in West St. Paul.

Nick Tharalson,
Marion, IA

Looks like gaunlet track. Don't see many pictures of that.

Nudge

No, they are just guard rails. The guard rails (inside ones) come together to a point at the edge of the photo.

spnudge Wrote:
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> Looks like gaunlet track. Don't see many pictures
> of that.
>
> Nudge

Guess your right. Just guard rails.

Nudge