TREMPEALEAU, Wis. – Fire destroyed an old timber railroad bridge over Tank Creek on the Great River State Trail. Because the remains were unsafe to traverse, the state Natural Resources Department installed barricades at both ends. Bikers and hikers now can go olky halfway on the 16-mile trail between Trempealeau and Onalaska. The route has 21 such low bridges through the marshlands and swamps of the Trempealeau River delta into he Mississippi. The state hopes to have the span replaced by snowmobile season.
Railroad profile
The bridge was at a watering stop for steam locomotives on a Chicago & Northwestern line built in 1871. The line went to Winona and on to South Dakota. The Wisconsin section iof the line was abandoned in 1977 and converted to recreational use.
Origins of the fire haven’t been determined. The fire occurred overnight and was hidden by a dense forest canopy. Image: Wisconsin Natural Resources