You’re driving through the cornfields of Central Iowa, and suddenly the ground just drops away. That’s the Des Moines River Valley. It’s deep. It’s green. And spanning that massive gap are two of the most impressive structures you’ll ever see in the Midwest.
The Kate Shelley High Bridge isn't just a piece of railroad infrastructure. Honestly, it's a monument to a 15-year-old girl who did something so brave it basically sounds like a Hollywood script. But if you visit today, you’ll see two bridges side-by-side. One is a spindly, black steel relic from 1901. The other is a beefy, modern concrete giant from 2009.
People get the stories mixed up all the time.
First off, let’s clear one thing up. Neither of these massive bridges is the one Kate Shelley actually crawled across on that stormy night in 1881. That bridge is long gone.
The Night Everything Changed in Boone County
It was July 6, 1881. A storm was ripping through Iowa that was so intense it felt like the world was ending.
Kate Shelley was just a teenager living with her widowed mother and siblings in a small house near Honey Creek. Her dad had been a railroad man, so she knew the sounds of the tracks. Around 11:00 PM, she heard a terrifying "crack" and then a splash. A "pusher" locomotive, sent out to check the condition of the tracks, had just plummeted into the flooded Honey Creek.
Two men died instantly. Two others were clinging to trees in the raging water.
Kate knew something the rest of the town didn't: The Midnight Limited passenger train was coming. It had 200 people on board. If that train hit the washed-out bridge at Honey Creek, everyone was going to die.
So, she grabbed an old lantern, fought her way out into the wind, and realized the only way to warn the station at Moingona was to cross the Des Moines River Bridge.
Why that crossing was a nightmare
Imagine a wooden bridge with no floor. Just ties spaced far apart with rusty spikes sticking out. The river below was flooding so high it was almost licking the bottom of the tracks.
Kate's lantern blew out. She was in total darkness except for the lightning.
She got down on her hands and knees. She crawled. The wind was trying to blow her off into the abyss. The wood was slick with rain. Splinters tore into her hands and knees. She finally made it to the station, burst through the door looking like a ghost, told them to stop the train, and then fainted.
She saved 200 lives. That's why we still talk about her in 2026.
The "Old" Kate Shelley High Bridge (Boone Viaduct)
The bridge most people call the "old" Kate Shelley High Bridge was actually built twenty years after her heroics. It was completed in 1901. Back then, it was officially the Boone Viaduct, but nobody called it that. Everyone just called it Kate's bridge.
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It was a marvel. At 185 feet high and 2,685 feet long, it was one of the highest and longest double-track railroad bridges in the world.
The designer was George S. Morison, a legendary bridge engineer. He didn't just want it to be functional; he wanted it to be permanent. But trains got heavier. A lot heavier. By the time the 2000s rolled around, Union Pacific realized the old steel girl couldn't handle the 21st century.
- The bridge was limited to one train at a time.
- Speed was capped at a measly 25 mph.
- The steel was getting "spindly" for modern freight.
Union Pacific spent a fortune maintaining it, but eventually, you just have to build a new one.
The New Giant: Engineering in the 21st Century
Construction on the "new" Kate Shelley High Bridge started in 2006. It sits just north of the original.
If you look at them side by side, the difference is jarring. The old bridge looks like a delicate spiderweb. The new one looks like an indestructible fortress. It’s made of massive reinforced concrete towers and heavy steel girders.
The stats on the new bridge are wild:
- It’s 190 feet high (5 feet taller than the old one).
- It spans 2,813 feet.
- It can handle two massive coal trains passing each other at 70 mph.
It cost over $50 million. When it opened in 2009, Union Pacific officially gave it the name it had unofficially held for a century: The Kate Shelley Bridge.
Interestingly, they didn't tear the old one down. It’s still standing there. It's on the National Register of Historic Places, and Union Pacific keeps it as a "backup." If a derailment ever took out the new bridge, they could theoretically have the old one ready for traffic in a matter of hours.
Visiting the Bridges Today
If you want to see them, you’ve got to go to Boone, Iowa. It’s about an hour north of Des Moines.
Don't expect a gift shop or a paved parking lot with a visitor center. This is a working railroad. You're basically looking for a spot on the side of a gravel road where the view opens up.
Pro tip: Head to the west side of the river. There are some public access points and overlooks near the High Trestle Trail (which is a different bridge nearby, don't get them confused!). The High Trestle Trail is for bikes and has the cool "spinning" lights at night. The Kate Shelley Bridge is for heavy-duty freight.
Common Misconceptions
- "Is it the bridge from the story?" No. The 1881 bridge was a wooden trestle further downstream at Moingona.
- "Can I walk on it?" Absolutely not. It’s active, it’s private property, and it’s dangerous. Union Pacific police do patrol the area.
- "Is it the tallest bridge in the world?" Not even close. But for a double-track railroad bridge in the middle of Iowa? It's a titan.
What This Means for Your Trip
If you're a railfan or a history buff, this is a pilgrimage site. Seeing a massive Union Pacific "Big Boy" or a mile-long coal train cresting that bridge is a visceral experience. You feel the ground shake even from a distance.
The juxtaposition of the 1901 engineering and the 2009 engineering tells the story of American growth better than any textbook. One represents the transition from steam to diesel; the other represents the high-tech logistics of the modern era.
Next Steps for Your Visit:
- Check the High Trestle Trail first: Start your day there. It's only 15 minutes away and gives you a "civilized" bridge experience with a paved path and great views of the valley.
- Visit the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad: This is a heritage railway in Boone. They actually run trains over another "high bridge" (the Bass Point High Bridge) which is 156 feet tall. It’s the closest you’ll get to actually riding across a trestle in the area.
- Stop by the Kate Shelley Museum: Located in Moingona, this tiny museum is built in the old depot where Kate actually arrived after her crawl. It’s the best place to see the real artifacts from that night.
The bridge is a reminder that sometimes, history isn't just about dates and numbers. It's about a terrified girl crawling through a storm because she knew she was the only thing standing between 200 people and a watery grave.