Minnesota and International Railway Trestle at Blackduck
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Minnesota and International Railway Trestle at Blackduck | |
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| Location | 0.25 miles (0.40 km) north of junction CSAH 39, Blackduck, |
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| Coordinates | 47°43′34″N 94°32′52″W / 47.72611°N 94.54778°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1901 |
| NRHP reference No. | 13001144[1] |
| Added to NRHP | February 5, 2014 |
The Minnesota and International Railway Trestle at Blackduck in Beltrami County, Minnesota was the longest timber trestle in the state.[2] It was built in 1901 and 1902 by the Minnesota and International Railway, a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railroad, on a line between Koochiching (now International Falls) and Bemidji, Minnesota, where it met a branch line of the parent railroad running north from Brainerd. The bridge carried the railroad over Coburn Creek and a difficult marsh in Blackduck and was noted for its considerable length and intact substructure when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places 2014.[3]
The bridge was a low structure 701 feet (210 m) long. After the railroad was abandoned the trestle became part of the Blue Ox Trail, a recreational trail used by hikers and snowmobilers. More than one-third of it was burned by arson in April 2015.[4][5] Efforts have been made to raise funds to rebuild the destroyed portion of the bridge.[6]
