Knowlton Bridge

Photo by Ruth Faivre

In the early days of Wisconsin’s history, lumber and other goods were rafted down the Wisconsin River regularly from 1841 to 1882.

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad reached Wausau from the south in 1874. By the 1890s, railroads had largely taken over the transportation formerly done by water.

The railroad drove expansion throughout Wisconsin during this time. The growth and prosperity of your community often hinged on whether the railroad laid their tracks and built a depot in your town.

A good example of that was Kroghville and London, WI, two communities about eight miles apart. Both were thriving communities in the 1800s and both advocated for the railroad depot to be built in their town. London won and consequently, 80% of the residents of Kroghville, moved their homes (log cabins back then were small and easily dismantled or moved on a wagon), to London, decimating Kroghville and turning it into a ghost town.

So, when the area now known as Knowlton and Dancy first developed, it meant the world to them to have a railroad come through their area. Dancy landed the depot/terminal location, and constructed a water tank for refilling steam engine boiler water, a steam engine pump house to fill the tank, a windmill to pump water on breezy days and large cinder pits for dumping engine fire boxes.

Right: DBPOA Board member, Sue Zimmerman took this 80’s photo, showing Knowlton’s dual bridge for railroad and vehicular traffic. Looking north, it reveals the old pea cannery in the upper far right corner. Above: The view down the tracks and through the bridge to Myer’s Landing on a bright Fall October day Below: 1999 Western Central Railroad calendar showcasing the Knowlton bridge.

Photo by Bruce Oldenberg

Leonhard Guenther, a member of the Marathon County Board and owner of the Knowlton House, built in 1854, which served fur traders, lumbermen, and travelers between Wausau and Stevens Point, worked diligently to bring the Wisconsin Valley Railroad to Wausau in 1874, despite the realization that it might contribute to a loss of business for the Knowlton House.

The Knowlton House was destroyed in the 1940s prior to the flooding of Lake DuBay.

The track ran from Junction City to Wausau and was built in the 1880's. The original Knowlton railroad truss bridge was erected across the Wisconsin River in 1894. Later, cantilevered beams supporting a 10-foot roadway were attached to this bridge to accommodate Highway 34, which was then a single lane.

Above: Bruce Oldenberg, a railroad historian, industrial history photographer and model railroader shot this photo of a jet ski skimming across Lake Dubay as boxcars amble across the Knowlton Bridge in the back ground. Left: Since the construction of the first modern railway bridge in the 1820s, railway bridge engineering has evolved extensively. Bridges constructed before 2007 were expected to have a service life of 50 years. Today, at the federal level, the goal is to design a bridge deck with a service life of 100 years. This photo was provided by the Marathon County Historical Society.

Automobile drivers had to be extra wary because often, a wayward log slid off a rail car gondola and onto or in front of an unsuspecting car.

This bridge was closed in 1979. The new highway bridge and reconstructed railroad bridge was completed in 1981.

Now owned by the Wisconsin Central (Canadian National [CN]) Railroad, the Knowlton bridge runs parallel to I-39 and the Wisconsin River through the town. Wisconsin Central is a Class I Railroad, which means it must be U.S.-based and have operating revenue (for 2010) exceeding $398.7 million.

The railroad crosses over the Wisconsin River in the SW corner of Knowlton and connects with Mosinee, Wausau and Tomahawk to the north and Wisconsin Rapids south.

Railroads have been an integral part of Wisconsin's transportation system since 1847, when the state's first freight service was introduced.

Above: This pen & ink drawing by artist Sue Zimmerman, also co-founder of DBPOA, is a popular item with many area residents. Left: John Kulp, a railroad enthusiast and Town of Knowlton resident, shot this photo of a CN train coming through the Knowlton Bridge, heading north on a foggy morning.

Photo by Bruce Oldenberg

With over 3,300 miles of rail lines in Wisconsin, a strong freight rail system is a key factor in facilitating safe and efficient movement of goods across the state, helping support and grow our economy.

Rail shipments in the Knowlton area, primarily involve coal, pulp or paper products, lumber or wood products, chemicals or allied products and food or kindred products.

Rail transportation is extremely important to the Department of Defense since the majority of heavy and tracked vehicles deploy by rail to seaports of embarkation. The Railroads for the National Defense Program along with the Federal Railroad Administration, utilize the railroad network to help support defense deployment and peacetime needs.

Above: Bruce Oldenberg, Plover, WI, an avid railroad enthusiast, shot this panoramic photo on August 2019, which shows a CN Railroad train heading north to Wausau over the Knowlton Bridge. The Wisconsin River runs about 30 feet deep here. Bruce shot every car on this train, described each car, listed what he thought they might be carrying and what their final destination might be: http://www.trainweb.org/brucerail10/w191105jct/a191105.html. Left: Railway bridges and railroad tracks, like ones leading up to the Knowlton bridge, shown here, must be continuously inspected. Railroad company owners are responsible for upkeep.

John Kulp, another railroad enthusiast and business manager, Kulp’s of Stratford, LLC, a roofing contractor in Central Wisconsin specializing in metal roofing, historical and religious projects and insulation solutions, lent us his Knowlton Bridge photos for this story because he is also a Town of Knowlton resident and frequent visitor to Lake Dubay.

I originally found John’s photos on the Facebook group, CN Canadian National Wisconsin, NE Minnesota, & Michigan Upper Peninsula, a great source of railroad photos and knowledge and a place to share your own photos, sightings and news about the former Soo/Wisconsin Central main line.

The Wisconsin Central Division Facebook page is also another fabulous mine of Wisconsin railroad history. According to one of their articles, Wisconsin’s first railroad was chartered in 1847. The state’s rail lines grew to nearly 7,000 miles by the 1930s. Our vast timber resources and centralized location created a flourishing climate for Wisconsin’s railroad industry during the turn of the century.

Above & Bottom: John Kulp shot these two photos of a CN train heading north, coming through the Knowlton bridge. Middle: John Kulp captured this CN train, which was 124 cars long and posted a video of it as well! Click on this link to view the video.

Photo by John Kulp

Photo by John Kulp

Photo by Bruce Oldenberg

in 1871, the Wisconsin State Legislator established Wisconsin Central Railroad Company, incorporated in 1871. In 1877, the railroad reached Ashland, WI. Northern Pacific Railroad leased it from 1889-1893, but then declared bankruptcy during the Panic of 1893. In 1897, Wisconsin Central Railroad Company reorganized to Wisconsin Central Railway Company.

In 1908, the proposed Northern Pacific merger fell through and Wisconsin Central was leased by Soo Line. Canadian Pacific Railroad held controlling interest in Soo Line and Wisconsin Central.

Above: Bruce Oldenberg, who has his own railroad photo website, http://trainweb.org/brucerail10/index.html, shot this sunny Knowlton Bridge picture in 2017. Bruce creates and utilizes many different camera gadgets in his photos, such as cameras mounted on 30-foot extension poles. Left: Wayne Becker, a Wisconsin Central Division Facebook page member, contributed this early Knowlton Bridge photo, he shot in 1968, facing north to what is now Meyer’s Landing.

Wisconsin Central entered receivership in 1932. It declared bankruptcy in 1944 but re-emerged in 1954 as Wisconsin Central Railroad.

Wisconsin Central was merged into Soo Line Railroad in 1961. Soo Line sold Lake States Transportation Division to private investors in 1987, who formed Wisconsin Central Transportation Corporation.

The first Wisconsin Central train ran from Stevens Point to North Fond du Lac, WI on October 11, 1987, now considered Wisconsin Central Limited's birthday

Above: A fishing boat passes by the Knowlton Bridge’s west side. Left: WARNING! Boaters need to use caution when crossing under Knowlton Bridge. The south span is a deck girder bridge with a little under seven feet of clearance. Boat sun canopies must be lowered to pass under it safely.

Photo by Bruce Oldenberg

Photo by Bruce Oldenberg

Wisconsin Central (WC) acquired Fox River Valley Railroad, Green Bay and Western railroads through Fox Valley & Western Ltd, in 1993 and Algoma Central Railway in 1995, through another new subsidiary, Wisconsin Central Canada Holdings.

In 1997, another WC subsidiary, the Sault Ste. Marie Bridge Company, acquired 207 miles of track from the Union Pacific Railroad forming a WC connection between Green Bay, Wisconsin and Ishpeming, MI.

On January 30, 2001, the WC and Canadian National (CN) announced plans for CN to purchase WC for $800 million and the assumption of $400 million of WC's debt.

On September 7, 2001, The Surface Transportation Board approved the sale of WC to CN and the WC operations were acquired by CN on October 9, 2001.

Above & Right: Bruce Oldenberg specializes in kite camera pictures but hasn’t taken a kite aerial view of Knowlton bridge in years, since 2008. He wants to do so soon but would prefer to capture shots with trains on the track. He has other train aerial views on his website.

Canadian National then merged their three US operating subsidiaries, Wisconsin Central Limited, Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range Railway and Duluth, Winnipeg & Pacific Railway into one US subsidiary, known as Wisconsin Central Ltd. Today, it is referred to as the Wisconsin Central Division of the Canadian National Railway.

Next time you are on the waters of Lake Dubay and you hear the train rumble across the Knowlton Bridge, take a few moments to cherish the memories of all the goods that have gone across that bridge. Also, you admire the hard-working structure of this historical bridge and acknowledge its impact on many communities by providing railroad passage across Lake Dubay for all kinds of merchandise.

A special thanks to the incredible photographers, online web & Facebook groups, railroad buffs and others, who contributed information and photos for this article and have been named within this article. Kudos to you for helping preserve this bit of Knowlton history! ###

Above: A crew takes a break from the back-breaking job of laying railroad tracks with freshly cut logs, circa 19001919. Top Right: Early 1900’s photo of the Knowlton depot, built in 1906. Barrels and boxes sit out front and the station sports a platform scale and oil platform lamp. Bottom Right: 1939 shot of the Knowlton depot and water tank where area railroad business was handled.

Photo by Glen Kwarciany

The photo above was taken of a Wisconsin Central (WC) local in the late 1980s, not long after operations began. WC operated primarily in Wisconsin, but also originally had tracks in Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois and connected with Algoma Central (AC) in Ontario, CN. Later, WC would acquire the AC, along with two other Wisconsin short line railroads.

WC's startup was not smooth by any means. There were no computer records of cars online. Some crews weren't totally familiar with the railroad, having come from other railroads. A good size group of new employees came from out of state.

A fair amount of traffic had moved away from being shipped by rail and some customers were no doubt skeptical of the new company's ability to make good on promises they made prior to acquisition.

However, the WC did turn things around by offering more reliable service, good customer care and many improvements to the railroad including tracks, freight car fleet and locomotives. The photo was shot while the WC was still rather humble. They had not yet taken over the FRVR/GBW railroads or begun large scale railroad improvements.

Yet, traffic was on the increase and trains were getting bigger. This train, L017, was the local between Wausau and Stevens Point with a crew that started their day in Wausau, from the former Milwaukee Road facility, then headed South to Stevens Point. Along the way, they would stop at local industries, including a pair of paper mills, a power plant, and a manufactured housing company.

This was the Westbound train (geographically Northbound) headed back to Wausau on former Milwaukee Road track (Milwaukee's Valley Line), crossing the Wisconsin River bridge near Knowlton. The bridge itself wasn't even ten years old, having replaced an older structure that had a severe weight restriction.

The train’s power was fairly standard for the time: a pair of former Soo Line GP30s plus a GP35M (a de-turbocharged GP35). WC obtained these during their start-up phase, plus about 40 ex-BN SD45s.

Also, since this was the late 1980s, ditch lights weren't required. The late afternoon sun on the long days of summer made this shot possible.

The area around the bridge was also a popular place to fish. Trespassers generally weren't a problem here as most people fishing had plenty of room along the banks of the Wisconsin River to not be too close to the tracks. Nobody was fishing this day, however. It was a hot summer day. Maybe, the fish weren't biting in the heat.

WC made great strides in attracting business that had moved away from rail. WC also picked up other traffic that traditionally didn't move by rail and did it profitably, too.

Today, WC is part of the CN. A non-scientific, casual glance at traffic moving over this track indicates far fewer cars move here, perhaps because CN might not be interested in the short hauls, which WC preferred. ###

Thanks to D Scott Peterson, Wisconsin Central Division Facebook page and owner of HRM Laser Models LLC, for helping make this article possible by providing the connection to Glen Kwarciany.

Contact Ruth Faivre rmfaivre@gmail.com for ad rates & further information!

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