Between 1906 and 1909 the Milwaukee Road extended its line from South Dakota to Seattle. Built about 1908 as part of the extension, this large Pratt deck truss bridge carried the tracks over the Clark Fork River in a rocky gorge. In 1927-28 a road bridge, known as the
Scenic Bridge, was built to carry Highway 10 over the river at this point, crossing under the Milwaukee Road Bridge, creating a very picturesque scene. Deck truss bridges are somewhat rare in Montana and here we have two, as the Scenic bridge is also a deck truss bridge. As one whizzes by on I-90 the two bridges are visible from the I-90 Clark Fork River bridge.
Another rarity, between 1914 and 1916, the Milwaukee Road electrified a section of Montana track, which included the section on which this bridge was located, implementing a 3,000 volt direct current overhead system between Harlowton, Montana, and Avery, Idaho, a distance of 438 miles. About 625 to 650 feet in length, including approach spans, the main span of about 230 feet rests on tall concrete piers on each bank of the river, with one more small pier under the west approach span by the Scenic Bridge. Electrification lasted well into the 1970s, with the final electric freight arriving at Deer Lodge, Montana on June 15, 1974.
The Milwaukee Road encountered more than its fair share of bumps in the road, declaring bankruptcy in 1925 and again in 1935, this time aided by the "Great Depression". While it managed to survive the decrease in railroad traffic caused by highway improvement in the middle of the twentieth century, by the end of the 1970s the Milwaukee Road was a big time money loser, finally filing for bankruptcy for the third and last time on December 19, 1977. This section of the Milwaukee Road, and this bridge, appear to have been abandoned in the early part of 1980.
Though currently unused, the
Rails to Trails Conservancy is active in an attempt to have the entire unused part of the Milwaukee Road in Montana converted to a Rails to Trails hiking trail.
Judge Thomas R. McMillen presided over the bankruptcy until the Milwaukee's eventual sale in 1985. The Milwaukee's primary problem was that it possessed too much physical plant for the revenue it generated; in 1977 it still owned 10,074 miles (16,213 km) and 36% of that mileage produced a mere 14% of the company's yearly revenue.[30] The approach taken by the bankruptcy trustees was to sell or abandon unprofitable or marginally-profitable lines, leaving a much smaller railroad which could be profitable. Outright liquidation was considered, but not pursued.
Between 1977 and 1984, route distance was reduced to a quarter [of] its peak and a third [of] its total in 1977, shrinking to 3,023 miles (4,865 km). The most extensive abandonment eliminated the Milwaukee Road's transcontinental service to the West Coast. While the Burlington Northern merger generated more traffic on this route, it was only enough to wear out the deteriorating track, not enough to pay for rebuilding, forcing trains to slow down at many locations due to bad track. A final attempt to devise a plan to rehabilitate the Pacific Extension under the Milwaukee Road Restructuring Act failed. Operations ended west of Miles City, Montana on February 29, 1980.
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