Spans the Eau Claire River connecting Galloway St on the north and Gibson St on the south | National or State Registers Record | Wisconsin Historical Society

National or State Registers Record

Spans the Eau Claire River connecting Galloway St on the north and Gibson St on the south

National or State Register of Historic Places
Spans the Eau Claire River connecting Galloway St on the north and Gibson St on the south | National or State Registers Record | Wisconsin Historical Society
NAMES
Historic Name:Soo Line Railroad Bridge
Reference Number:100007982
PROPERTY LOCATION
Location (Address):Spans the Eau Claire River connecting Galloway St on the north and Gibson St on the south
County:Eau Claire
City/Village:Eau Claire
Township:
SUMMARY
Soo Line Railroad Bridge
Spans the Eau Claire River connecting Galloway Street on the north and Gibson Street on the south, Eau Claire, Eau Claire County
Builder: Minneapolis Steel Company
Date of Construction: 1910

The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (Soo Line) Bridge is a steel Warren deck truss located in the city of Eau Claire, WI. The bridge crosses the Eau Claire River at Galloway (north) and Gibson (south) street. To the north is the former Uniroyal Plant, now Banberry Place, while the central business district and residential areas are found to the south.

The S-Bridge, as it is locally known, is composed of five spans and a is a total length of 442 feet. The spans were laid out with an s-bend in order to soften the sharp curved that would otherwise be needed to connect parallel tracks.

The land along the river where the S-Bridge was constructed was originally owned by the Wisconsin Central Railroad. When the Wisconsin Central acquired the Chippewa Falls and Western Railway, which gave them access to Eau Claire from Chippewa Falls, land was needed to further the railroad line. Because the main track was located on the north side of the river, the railroad needed to construct a bridge to access the south side. In the fall of 1890 a wooden s-shaped bridge was constructed. In 1909 the Soo Line Railroad signed a 99-year lease with the Wisconsin Central Railroad and in 1910 the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company replaced the wooden bridge with the present structure. The Soo Line abandoned the S-Bridge in 1991. It was converted into a pedestrian bridge in 2002.

PROPERTY FEATURES
Period of Significance:1910
Area of Significance:Engineering
Applicable Criteria:Architecture/Engineering
Historic Use:Transportation: Rail-Related
Architectural Style:Other
Resource Type:Structure
Architect:Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company
DESIGNATIONS
Historic Status:Listed in the National Register
Historic Status:Listed in the State Register
National Register Listing Date:08/12/2022
State Register Listing Date:08/20/2021
NUMBER OF RESOURCES WITHIN PROPERTY
Number of Contributing Buildings:0
Number of Contributing Sites:0
Number of Contributing Structures:1
Number of Contributing Objects:0
Number of Non-Contributing Sites:0
Number of Non-Contributing Structures:1
Number of Non-Contributing Objects:0
RECORD LOCATION
National Register and State Register of Historic Places, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin

How to Cite

For the purposes of a bibliography entry or footnote, follow this model:

National Register of Historic Places Citation
National Register of Historic Places, "Historic Name", "Town", "County", "State", "Reference Number".

Have Questions?

If you didn't find the National Register listing you were looking for or have other questions about the National Register, please email us and we can help: