The Route of the Hiawatha- Bridging the Gaps

Wood to Steel

The Milwaukee Road built temporary wood trestles at all but Kelly Creek and Clear Creek. Fire danger prompted the railroad to immediately begin replacing the wooden structures with earth-filled embankments or building steel bridges inside and over them.

The ...

The Route of the Hiawatha- No One’s “Fault”

It's nature’s “fault” this tunnel is closed…

Several major geologic fault lines run under these mountains. The mountainside here is slowly shifting along a fault line into the right side of this tunnel, collapsing it.

The tunnel runs through rock known as ...

The 1755 Battle of Lake George

Lake George Battlefield Park

In September 1755, a Colonial army commanded by Major General William Johnson camped on this location in preparation for an advance against the French Fortress of St. Frederic at Crown Point on Lake Champlain. On September 8, ...

Battle At Rivers Bridge / Rivers Bridge Memorials

Battle At Rivers Bridge

On February 2 ~ 3, 1865, as Gen. W.T. Sherman's

Federals advanced toward Columbia, units of

Gen. F.P. Blair's XVII Corps attempted to cross

the Salkehatchie River at Rivers Bridge. The

Confederate defenders there, in Gen. Lafayette

McLaws's division of ...

High Water Mark Walking Tour

July 3, 1863 - Third Day

"Every foot of ground was occupied by men engaged in mortal combat...."

Maj. Edmund Rice, U.S.A.

19th Massachusetts Infantry

The green trail to your left leads to the scene of the climax of Pickett's Charge, the decisive action ...

People and Places, circa 1957 at N-75L

U.S. Army units stationed at N-75L/C

The Army Antiaircraft Command (ARAACOM), with both guns and missiles, was established 1 July 1950. It was re-designated Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM) on 21 March 1957 after all units were converted to missiles. Under ...

The Route of the Hiawatha- Section Gangs

Patrolling for problems on the track was the job of the section foreman and his “section gang” of 2 to 7 hardy laborers.

In the early 1900s the Milwaukee Road’s mainline was divided into 5.5 to 9.5 mile-long sections. A “gang” ...

Cottonwood River Bridges at Cottonwood Falls

The first major bridge at Cottonwood Falls was a 150 foot long iron truss bridge constructed in 1872. The iron bridge was just west of the present arch bridge.

The present bridge was constructed in 1914 by the Missouri Valley Bridge ...

The Route of the Hiawatha- Tunneling Toward Tacoma

Snaking its railroad down the western side of the Bitterroot Mountains, the Milwaukee Road burrowed 16 tunnels to maintain a uniform grade down to Avery.

These tunnels were dug largely by hand using sledgehammers and hand drills. In some cases steam-powered ...

Mortar Battery

Mortar shells from this battery plummeted down in high soaring arcs upon the warships, tearing through the canvas sails and bursting upon the wooden deck.

This mortar battery, joined with heavy guns on both sides of the River, made running the ...