Rating:
3 votes

Trout Run Trail - Kingpost Bridge

Winneshiek County, Iowa

Photos 

Overview in new location

Photo taken by James Baughn in June 2017

Enlarge

BH Photo #411095

Map 

Description 

This short-span crossing of Ten Mile Creek is located some five miles northwest of Decorah in central Winneshiek County. County records do not refer specifically to this kingpost pony truss, but it appears to have been built circa 1895, probably by the R.D. Wheaton Bridge Company of Chicago, which supplied several kingpost trusses to the county at that time. Consisting of a kingpost pony truss with rigid-connected upper chords and pinned lowers, the structure is supported by stone abutments. Since its completion, the Ten Mile Creek Bridge has continued to carry intermittent traffic in its picturesque setting, while retaining an exceptional degree of structural integrity. With its roots extending to the Middle Ages, the kingpost pony truss was the most rudimentary truss type. Numerous kingposts were built on Iowa's early roads in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, executed first as timber/iron combination structures and later in all-metal configurations. The Kingpost as a structural type was generally limited to relatively short-span applications, however, and as steel beam bridges received widespread acceptance after the turn of the century, erection of kingpost trusses declined rapidly. This bridge in Winneshiek County is a well-preserved example of this mainstay structural type [adapted from Crow-Dolby and Fraser 1992].

Facts 

Overview
Kingpost pony truss bridge relocated to Trout Run Trail in Decorah
Location
Decorah, Winneshiek County, Iowa
Status
Open to pedestrians for trail use
History
Built ca. 1895
Builder
- R.D. Wheaton & Co. of Chicago, Illinois
Design
Kingpost pony truss (lower chord pin-connected, upper chord riveted)
Dimensions
Length of largest span: 35.0 ft.
Total length: 36.0 ft.
Deck width: 16.1 ft.
Recognition
Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on May 15, 1998
Also called
Ten Mile Creek Bridge (Old Name)
Approximate latitude, longitude
+43.27422, -91.79341   (decimal degrees)
43°16'27" N, 91°47'36" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/597908/4791974 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Decorah
Land survey
T. 98 N., R. 9 W., Sec. 3
Average daily traffic (as of 2001)
30
Inventory numbers
NRHP 98000466 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
IA 347800 (Iowa bridge number)
BH 14747 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Inspection report (as of March 2009)
Overall condition: Poor
Superstructure condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Critical (2 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Poor (4 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 24.4 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com

Categories 

19th Century (6,803)
Built during 1890s (2,712)
Decorah, Iowa (11)
Iowa (6,151)
Kingpost truss (154)
NR-listed (2,861)
One-lane traffic (7,533)
Open to pedestrians (3,773)
Owned by city (4,864)
 Pin-connected (3,663)
Pony truss (15,579)
R.D. Wheaton & Co. (4)
Skewed (4,802)
Span length 25-50 feet (14,738)
Total length 25-50 feet (10,584)
Truss (30,973)
Winneshiek County, Iowa (88)

Update Log 

  • November 18, 2017: Added photos from James Baughn
  • July 22, 2011: Updated by Luke Harden: Fixed map
  • November 26, 2010: Updated by Anthony Dillon: Updated status to relocated for reuse
  • February 4, 2008: New photos from Jason Smith

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • Robert Elder - robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Jason Smith - flensburg [dot] bridgehunter [dot] av [at] googlemail [dot] com
  • Tony Dillon - spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com
  • Luke
  • Historicbridges.org - by Nathan Holth
  • James Baughn - webmaster [at] bridgehunter [dot] com
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Comments 

Ten Mile Creek Bridge
Posted June 10, 2017, by Don Morrison

We need post editing function! lol

Gotta get out on that trail myself one of these days!

Ten Mile Creek Bridge
Posted June 10, 2017, by Don Morrison

King post is possibly at 43.274223, -91.793415.

It's too small to cross Trout Run. (I think)

Ten Mile Creek Bridge
Posted June 9, 2017, by John Marvig (marvigj27 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Looking at the location of the bridge on the map, it appears that it is a MOB. I'm also concerned because of the removal from the NRHP. Does anyone have any insight into this?

Ten Mile Creek Bridge
Posted November 26, 2010, by Ben Thorson (bthorson [at] minnowa [dot] com)

This bridge has been moved to the City of Decorah and looks great on the new bike trail.

Ten Mile Creek Bridge
Posted July 20, 2010, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

That is excellent news. It sounds like the Decorah Bike Trail is going to have quite the collection of historic bridges.

Ten Mile Creek Bridge
Posted July 19, 2010, by Ben Thorson (bthorson [at] minnowa [dot] com)

This bridge will be moved to the bike trail for the City of Decorah in the Summer of 2010.

Ten Mile Creek Bridge
Posted February 4, 2008, by Jason Smith (JDSmith77 [at] gmx [dot] net)

Available link with information on the bridge:

http://www.ole.dot.state.ia.us/historicbridge/detail.asp?id=...