Nic Boom

Iron Through-Truss Bridge

Engineering for this bridge type

After a disastrous fire in 1893 destroyed the extensive lumberyards on Boom Island, the Wisconsin Central Railroad constructed railyards in that location, including a bridge connecting to Nicollet Island, where trains could switch to the Great Northern Railroad line. Over time, the channel between Boom Island and the riverbank was filled, and the land is no longer recognizable as an island. The railyards were demolished around 1970, but the connecting bridge remained in place. Both Boom and Nicollet islands were subsequently acquired by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board for park development, and the short rail bridge was refurbished as a pedestrian/bicycle trail link in 1987.