Over the Chippewa River, south of Dells Dam

Summary

Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, & Omaha Railway Bridge
Over the Chippewa River, south of the Dells Dam, Eau Claire, Eau Claire County
Date of Construction: 1880

The Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, & Omaha Railway Bridge runs east-west over the Chippewa River in Eau Claire, WI, with Dells Dam located just north of the bridge spanning the river.

The High Bridge is a six-span deck truss bridge. It is over 900 feet long and consists of four main spans and two approach spans supported by masonry piers and abutments. The bridge carried a single railroad track over the river. A unique feature of the bridge is its vertical members which intersect five times, creating can unusual variation of the lattice truss type. Locally it was, and remains to this day, named the “High Bridge” as its tracks are 82 feet above the normal level of the river.

The original wooden bridge structure constructed by the West Wisconsin Railway over the Chippewa River was completed in October of 1870. Not long after its construction, plans for iron bridges to replace the wooden ones over the rivers were in place. In 1880 Leighton Bridge & Iron Works of Rochester, New York began construction on the new iron and stone bridge over the Chippewa River. It was completed the same year. In 1898 steel deck plate girders replaced the short spans at each end and new steel floor beams were installed. These were constructed by the Lassig and Iron Works Company of Chicago, Illinois. The bridge continued to serve the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway mainline until 1912 when a new mainline bridge was constructed upstream. The High Bridge then became a part of the west side spur that serviced Shawtown. In 1992 the bridge was abandoned by the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. In 2007 ownership transferred to the city of Eau Claire and in 2015 the bridge was successfully converted to a pedestrian bridge. in 2015, the bridge was rehabilitated for pedestrian and bicycle use. Alterations in 2015 included removal of the railroad tracks and replacement of damaged ties. A wood deck, railing, and light poles were installed. Five overlook platforms were added as well. The remaining structure of the bridge was retained. In 2021, the city undertook minor repairs to the bridge and observed that there was damage to the deck that was caused by a crack in one of the piers. Repairs were undertaken to stabilize the bridge and make the bridge safe for public traffic.

The workmanship of the original lattice trusses is of high quality and has stood the test of time (140 years) with only a small amount of bracing necessary. The workmanship of the coursed limestone piers is primarily intact and illustrates a high quality of stone masonry. The partially reconstructed pier is an alteration from the original workmanship, but the use of a veneer that emulates the coursed limestone is a high-quality simulation of the original stonework. The 2021-2022 restoration project received the Wisconsin Historical Society’s 2023 Board of Curators Historic Preservation Award, an award that recognizes the best work in protecting a threatened property in Wisconsin.

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