Time Frame: 2004

Bridges allowed trains to cross otherwise impassable terrain like rivers and valleys. After bridges were built, steamboats played a subordinate role to the railroads. By 1860 there was 655 miles of tracks built in Iowa. Railroads made significant contributions toward development of permanent communities in Iowa. By the early 1870s railroads had significantly altered the economic structure of Iowa. 2004.

Photo by Cory Heintz
Photo courtesy of the Iowa Department of Transportation