Historic Camelback Bridge

The town of Normal was created at the junction of the Illinois Central and the Chicago and Alton Railroads, and the Camelback Bridge is the last surviving structure in Normal associated with the railroad. Its location was chosen where railroad builders had to excavate a deep cut through the crest of the Normal Moraine, and even then the bridge needed a distinctive camelback shape so early wood-burning locomotives with tall stacks could pass underneath. The first bridge here was made entirely of wood, but about 1904 it was replaced by this distinctive kingpost structure. The columns that now support it were salvaged from another Illinois Central rail bridge that once crossed the Illinois River, and they were cast at Pennsylvania's nationally famous Phoenix Foundry, which gained acclaim during the Civil War for producing cannons for the Union army. The bridge is a remarkable and unique survivor of Illinois' most famous early railroad and the only known example of this type remaining in the state. With the opening of Constitution Trail in 1988, it became the trail's most noteworthy landmark, and in 1997 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places before being rehabilitated by the Town of Normal in 2001.

Normal, Illinois · United States