State Historical Society of Iowa

Chicago & North Western Railway Viaduct (Kate Shelley High Bridge) at Boone Data Papers, August 1995

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Courtesy of Library of Congress, Jackson, Robert W., Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, August 1995

Description 

The papers are from the Historical American Engineering Record in a report about the construction of the Chicago & North Western Railroad viaduct (Kate Shelley High Bridge) near Boone, Iowa. The viaduct, a long bridge-like structure, is one of the last projects of noted bridge engineer George Morison, who died two years after the structure was built. The bridge was the longest and heaviest viaduct of its time and may be the longest extant double-track railroad viaduct in the world. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This document was prepared as part of the Iowa Historic Bridges Recording Project performed during the summer of 1995.

Full Transcript of Boone Data Papers

Source-Dependent Questions

  • According to the text, what was the purpose of the viaduct? What problem would the viaduct solve?
  • Who was Kate Shelley, and why was the bridge named after her?

Citation Information

Jackson, Robert W., "Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Viaduct, Spanning Des Moines River at Chicago & Northwestern Railroad tracks, Boone, Boone County, IA," Historic American Engineering Record, National Park Service, August 1995. Courtesy of Library of Congress