| Minnesota and International Railway Trestle at Blackduck | |
| Location: | north of junction CSAH 39, Blackduck, |
| Coordinates: | 47.7261°N -94.5478°W |
| Added: | February 5, 2014 |
| Area: | less than one acre |
| Refnum: | 13001144 |
The Minnesota and International Railway Trestle at Blackduck in Beltrami County, Minnesota was the longest timber trestle in the state.[1] It was built in 1901 and 1902 by the Minnesota and International Railway, a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railroad, on a line between Koochiching (now International Falls) and Bemidji, Minnesota, where it met a branch line of the parent railroad running north from Brainerd. The bridge carried the railroad over Coburn Creek and a difficult marsh in Blackduck and was noted for its considerable length and intact substructure when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places 2014.[2]
The bridge was a low structure 701feet long. After the railroad was abandoned the trestle became part of the Blue Ox Trail, a recreational trail used by hikers and snowmobilers. More than one-third of it was burned by arson in April 2015.[3] [4] Efforts have been made to raise funds to rebuild the destroyed portion of the bridge.[5]