• Name: Tiffany Stone Bridge, also known as Chicago & North Western Railway Bridge No. 128
• Location: Spanning Turtle Creek near Tiffany (an unincorporated community in the Town of Turtle), Rock County, Wisconsin
• Still in Use: Owned by Union Pacific and active on a main line between Chicago and Madison
Construction & Design
• Built: 1869, engineered by Van Mienan for the Chicago & North Western Railway
• Constructed by: Contractor John Watson of Janesville, Wisconsin
• Structure: Stone masonry deck-arch bridge with five semicircular spans
• Each span measures approximately 50 ft in length, radius of 26.5 ft
• Total length roughly 387–387.5 ft
• Built from quarry-faced limestone sourced near Waupun and Green Bay—cut by hand on site
• Structural details:
• Corbeled cornice featuring stepped limestone courses with a stone cap over the arches
• Piers feature heavy batter on downstream sides and deep offsets upstream to resist water flow pressures
Reinforcements & Upkeep
• 1930s Upgrades:
• Arches were lined internally with reinforced concrete and steel rods to support heavier, modern locomotives (~250 tons) without altering the bridge’s historic look
Historical Significance
• Oldest surviving stone arch railroad bridge in Wisconsin and one of the Midwest’s most impressive remaining structures of its kind
• Historic Recognition:
• Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982
• Documented thoroughly by the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER WI-24) through drawings and photographs
Today & Visitor Info
• Operations: Still carries approximately 15 trains per day on Union Pacific’s active line
• Recreational Site:
• Turtle Creek Parkway County Park (3.5 acres) surrounds the bridge, offering picnic areas and scenic viewing
• Easily accessed via Shopiere Road/County J off I‑39/90 or County Road 140
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This bridge stands as a stunning example of 19th‑century stone engineering—remarkably preserved and still in service—making it a valuable piece of Wisconsin’s railway and architectural history.
