Soo Line High Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Soo Line High Bridge
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The Soo Line High Bridge from the southwest
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Somerset, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1910–11 |
| Built by | American Bridge Company |
| Architect | C.A.P. Turner |
| MPS | Washington County MRA (AD) |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000056 |
| Added to NRHP | August 22, 1977 |
The Soo Line High Bridge, also known as the Arcola High Bridge, is a super cool steel bridge. It stretches across the St. Croix River. This amazing bridge connects Stillwater, Minnesota, and Somerset, Wisconsin.
A clever engineer named C.A.P. Turner designed it. The American Bridge Company built it between 1910 and 1911. This bridge is so special that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It's famous for its huge size, beautiful design, and smart engineering. It was also very important for travel between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Building the High Bridge
This bridge was the second one built for a train line. The Wisconsin Central Railway used this line. It connected Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, with Minneapolis, Minnesota. The first bridge was built way back in 1884.
Crossing the St. Croix River was a big challenge for the railway. The first bridge was very low. Trains also had to climb steep hills on both sides of the river. This meant they needed extra engines, called helper engines. They also had to make trains shorter to get them across.
To solve these problems, the Wisconsin Central Railway decided to build a much higher bridge. They started building it in 1909. The new bridge stands 184 feet (about 56 meters) above the river. It is also 2,682 feet (about 817 meters) long. It has five strong steel arches that reach high over the water.
Who Owned the Bridge?
Over the years, the bridge has been owned by different railway companies. In 1909, the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway took over the Wisconsin Central Railway.
Later, in 1961, several railway companies joined together. The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway, the Wisconsin Central Railway, and the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway all merged. They formed a new company called the Soo Line Railroad.
The Soo Line Railroad later bought another big railway, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. They started using that railway's main line for trains going between Chicago and Minneapolis.
In 1987, the Soo Line High Bridge became part of a new company. This company was called Wisconsin Central Ltd.. They took over many of the Soo Line's tracks in Wisconsin. Finally, on January 30, 2001, the Canadian National Railway bought Wisconsin Central. They own the bridge today.
