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Badger State Trail - Stewart Tunnel

Green County, Wisconsin

Photos 

North end of the Stewart Tunnel.

Photo taken by Eric Hanson in September 2010

Enlarge

BH Photo #191071

Map 

Description 

The Stewart Tunnel was named after James Stewart of Lancashire, Pennsylvania, who was apparently a contractor on the project. It appears that James was thrown from a buggy and killed while he was following the proposed route of the new railroad. As a result of this unfortunate accident the tunnel was named after him.

The tunnel itself is about 1,000 feet in length and is on a curve which means that you cannot see the other end when you initially enter it. The Illinois Central Railroad ran its first train through in February of 1888 and the railroad itself was abandoned in the late 1990's. The lining of the tunnel has been modified numerous times over the years. It now is used by pedestrians and bicyclists on the Badger State Trail.

Facts 

Overview
Tunnel on Badger State Trail
Location
Green County, Wisconsin
Status
Open to pedestrians
History
Built in 1887 by the Illinois Central Railroad
Railroads
- Illinois Central Railroad (IC; ICG (1972-1988))
- Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad (WICT)
Design
Tunnel carved out of the natural bedrock.
Dimensions
Total length: 1,260.0 ft.
Also called
Badger State Trail - Belleville Tunnel
IC - Stewart Tunnel
IC - Belleville Tunnel
Approximate latitude, longitude
+42.81169, -89.56580   (decimal degrees)
42°48'42" N, 89°33'57" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/290222/4743096 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Belleville
Land survey
T. 4 N., R. 8 E., Sec. 36
Elevation
958 ft. above sea level
Inventory number
BH 47457 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (7,863)
Badger State Trail (4)
Bore Tunnel (294)
Built 1887 (222)
Built during 1880s (2,060)
Green County, Wisconsin (13)
Illinois Central Railroad (608)
Open to pedestrians (4,402)
 Owned by state (16,242)
Rail-to-trail (1,633)
Railroad (16,103)
Total length 1000-2500 feet (1,923)
Tunnel (1,339)
Wisconsin (1,576)
Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad (6)

Update Log 

  • August 16, 2021: New photos from Peter Johnson
  • August 27, 2018: Updated by John Marvig: Added category "Bore Tunnel"
  • December 28, 2015: New photo from Charles Kuehn
  • April 4, 2015: New photos from John Marvig
  • October 21, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Rail-to-trail", "Railroad", "Wisconsin & Calumet Railroad"
  • December 29, 2010: Added by Eric Hanson

Sources 

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