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Boom-Nicollet
Island Pedestrian Bridge
Full name: Wisconsin Central Railroad Bridge (ca. 1901-present)
Bridge type: iron
through-truss bridge
After a disastrous fire in 1893 destroyed the extensive lumberyards
on Boom Island, the Wisconsin Central Railroad constructed railyards
in that location, including a bridge connecting to Nicollet Island,
where trains could switch to the Great Northern Railroad line. |
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Wisconsin Central roundhouse on Boom
Island, under construction, viewed from Nicollet Island, 1901
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Wisconsin Central Railroad bridge under construction,1901 |
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Over time, the channel
between Boom Island and the riverbank was filled, and the land is no longer
recognizable as an island. The railyards were demolished around 1970,
but the connecting bridge remained in place. Both Boom and Nicollet islands
were subsequently acquired by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
for park development, and the short rail bridge was refurbished as a pedestrian/bicycle
trail link in 1987. |
