The La Crosse Rail Bridge is a swing bridge that spans the Mississippi River between La Crescent, Minnesota and La Crosse, Wisconsin. The first bridge in this location initially was designed and ready to build by June 1876, and was completed in November 1876 by the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, a predecessor of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. It was later replaced in 1902. It is at the Western end of the Canadian Pacific Railway Tomah Subdivision. Amtrak's Empire Builder crosses this bridge. History Prior to its bridging, the Mississippi River connected the country north to south, but was an obstacle for those going east to west. The railroad relied on ferry boats to transport rail cars across the river into La Crosse, which cost a considerable amount of money and time. In addition, many of the ferry boats were unreliable because they had no fixed schedule. In the early 1800s, it was difficult to construct bridges, as they needed to provide enough clearance for the abundance of steamboats on the river. In the winter months when the river froze over and boat traffic stopped, the railroad would lay down seasonal tracks across the ice and remove them by spring. Rock Island Bridge In 1856, the first swing bridge to span the Mississippi river was constructed in Rock Island, Illinois, upstream of the place where Government Bridge is today. Only a few days after that bridge was opened, a steamboat crashed into it. The boat and bridge caught on fire, and the steamboat owner sued for damages, claiming the bridge was a hazard to navigation. It was defended in court by an Illinois lawyer: Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln won the case for the railroad, arguing that a person has a much right to build a bridge to cross a river as another person has to travel up and down the water. This victory led to the construction of even more railroad bridges over the Mississippi. Construction of the La Crosse bridge The Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway had two disconnected segments of a railway between Chicago, Illinois and St. Paul, Minnesota: one rail line from La Crescent, Minnesota to St. Paul, and the other rail line from La Crosse to Milwaukee. The Railroad used the Winona Rail Bridge belonging to the Winona & Saint Peter Railroad, constructed in 1871, until the La Crosse Rail Bridge was built.