Chaska Swing Bridge

Former Minnesota River Crossing

Chaska, Minnesota to Shakopee, Minnesota

In 1871, the Hastings & Dakota Railroad charted a line from Hastings Minnesota to Cologne Minnesota. It featured a Wooden Swing Bridge at Chaska, and a large trestle at Carver. The swing bridge had 3 piers. It had 2 small 100’ Stationary Spans, with a 2 0’ main span. It first opened October 1871. The line saw freight trains, 3 in each direction. It also saw a Passenger Train in Each direction. Along with that, an express train in each direction. In 1876, the H&D built a line from Minneapolis to Cologne. These 2 lines merged in Cologne. A major flood in 1880 caused the swing bridge to deteriorate. It was corrected. In 1880, the bridge caught fire from a passing engine. It was put out quickly. Also in 1880, the H&D was bought by the Milwaukee Road. In 1890, the swing bridge deteriorated so bad it was removed and replaced by another, only the new one was steel. It featured 100’ girder spans as stationary spans. In 1900, after deteriorating, it was replaced. Only this bridge had 2 piers. One pier was removed. A 127’ stationary truss Span was put in place. A 250’ Pratt Truss Swing Span was put in Place. In 1905, the truss span was updated. It was replaced by a 127’ Pratt Truss Span. Not only this, but the north abutment had a new cement part added to accommodate this new span. Not surprisingly, a sugar factory was built in Chaska, which took in Sugar Beets from the west and processed them. They were then shipped east, or also to Shakopee. After WWII, traffic dropped to only sugar beet traffic, and local traffic. In case you are wondering, the line was extended to the West Coast around 1913. In 1965, a bridge over County 40 was destroyed when a plow train derailed. There were 6 injured, and the engineer suffered a broken neck. The bridge was rebuilt, but in 1971, the EPA ordered the Sugar Factory not to process sugar beets. The line was then abandoned. In 1978, the DNR paid $48,000 for the line from Chaska to Shakopee. The carver Trestle was then demolished. There were 3 bridges along the line that were converted for trail use. In 1991, the East abutment began shifting on the main bridge. It was corrected. But then in August 1996, the main swing pier began sinking. The bridge was taken down at 2:25 PM CST on August 22nd. The construction for a new bridge began by pulling out the piers, then the south abutment. But then…The Chaska Trestle Burned. The project for a new bridge was abandoned. The trail was reconnected to Chaska after the new MN-41 bridge was built.
11/29/11

This was the Chaska Swing Bridge. It was a massive bridge over the Minnesota River.

The last bridge was very unique. It featured a 1900 drawspan, and a 1905 stationary span.

The last bridge also had 2 piers. The large rectangular one, and the massive swing pier.

Another thing was the use of extended abutments, which formed a stone wall. The North one is 20' long, and the south was 38' long.

Both these abutments shared a common feature. The use of trestle stringer on top.

Here was the last design of the bridge.

20' Stringer (Abutment) 127' Through Truss (Stationary) 250' Through Truss (Draw Span) 38' Stringer (Abutment)

I got a big shock when I first came to look at the date stamp. It said 1905.

This bridge can also be called the Shakopee Draw Bridge, depending on who you ask.

I'm not quite sure if anything else exists. The other abutment could be buried. I'm not sure if it is or not.

There also may be remains of piers on the bottom, both #1 and #2, and the mysterious pier #3 removed 1900.

The photos above are looking at the bridge in 2011, and the bridge in 1977. The old one is from John Hill.


The photo above is looking at the north abutment from the south side of the river. The photo below is looking at the north abutment from the local ATV trail.






The photos above and below are looking at the north abutment from the forest.






The photo above is looking off the end of the abutment. The photo below is looking towards Chaska along the trail. Over the past 14 years, the trail has buckled, collapsed and in some places, completely fell into the river.






The photo above is looking up on the remains of the north abutment. The photo below is looking at the north abutment.






The photo above is looking at the north abutment. The photo below is looking at the south abutment.






The photo above is a newspaper article from August 24th 1996. The photo below is looking at the sinking pier.






The photo above is from 1900, when the steel swing bridge was going up. The photo below is looking at the bridge in it's last days. Note the crumbling pier.




The photos below were donated by John Hill. They were taken 1977.



The photo above is looking at the smaller, stationary span. The photo below is looking downstream towards the bridge.






The photo above is looking north along the bridge. The photo below is the now gone south abutment.






The photo above is looking north across the bridge. The photo below is looking south across the bridge.






The photo above is looking south across the bridge. The photo below is the south end of the bridge.






The photos above and below are looking at the bridge from the south end ontop of a large hill.






The photo above is looking across the bridge from the south end. The photo below is looking into the smaller span.



This ends the John Hill Collection




The photo above is looking towards the south side. The photo below is looking at the graffiti on the 1905 abutment.






The photo above is looking up at the end of the abutment. The photo below is looking towards the date stamp.






The photo above is looking at the river. The 2 weak spots are where the piers were. The first was the rectangular pier. The 2nd was the swing pier. The photo below is looking towards the abutment from the trail.






The photo above is looking along the abutment. The photo below is looking along the abutment on the other side.






The photo above is looking along the west side of the north abutment. The photo below is looking down the trail towards Chaska.






The photo above is looking at the bridge shoe. The photo below is looking at the other bridge shoe.






The photo above is looking off the end of the bridge. The photo below is looking along the abutment.






The photos above and below are looking at the date stamp.






The photo above is looking along the abutment.

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