The following picture is current and shows two railroad bridges over the Des Moines River and the Boone Valley. The nearest /older two track railroad bridge was built in 1899 and is the highest and longest railroad bridge in the United States - it measures 185 feet tall and 2,685 feet long. In the early 1980's, the bridge and Chicago Northwestern RR fell into disrepair. The CNRR was purchased by the Central Pacific / Union Pacific railroad and a new two track bridge - Boone Viaduct sometimes called the Kate Shelley High Bridge - was built (replacement bridge has cement pillars) and was put into operation in the early 1990's. This completed the Union Pacific RR "Overland Route" that connected Chicago with the West Coast.

Note that the Chicago Northwestern RR and telegraph line West through this area was built in 1860's [id=611356678] before the early bridge existed. The CNRR reached Boone, IA in 1864. By 1866, a depot and crew quarters for lodging were built. By the 1870's, the CNRR had built a train yard round-house and a major mechanical facility. In the early 1970's, each pole was three cross-arms with five insulators on each side. The telegraph line had many CD 145 HG insulators and later issue Hemingray insulators - the top tier was not in use and contained some of the early CD 132's and Cadiz style CD 132's. Most were damaged and I think the line was wreck-out in the early 1980's about the time the new UPRR bridge was built.