The Soo Line High Bridge, also known as the Arcola High Bridge, is a steel deck arch bridge over the St. Croix River between Stillwater, Minnesota and Somerset, Wisconsin, United States. It was designed by structural engineer C.A.P. Turner and built by the American Bridge Company from 1910 to 1911. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 for its national significance in the themes of engineering and transportation.[2] It was nominated for its exceptional dimensions, beauty, innovative engineering techniques, and importance to transportation between Minnesota and Wisconsin.[3]
The bridge was the second bridge on a Wisconsin Central Railway line that connected Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, with Minneapolis, Minnesota. The line was originally built in 1884. The crossing of the St. Croix River was difficult for the railway, since the original bridge across the river was very low and trains had to contend with steep grades on both sides of the river. This made it necessary to use helper engines and to make trains shorter. In 1909 the Wisconsin Central Railway built a higher bridge over the river. The bridge is 184 feet (56 m) above the river and 2,682 feet (817 m) long, with five steel arches towering above the river.[4]
^"Soo Line High Bridge". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
^Parnes, Herschel L. D. (April 24, 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Nomination Form: Soo Line High Bridge". National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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