By 1882, the railroad would be completed. In Kankakee, it would connect to an Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Railroad line; which would eventually become the New York Central in 1914.
In Seneca, it connected to a Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific line between Chicago and Iowa.
In short, the line served as a bypass to Chicago, allowing traffic from the west to head east or south, while avoiding Chicago.
The line was a poorly built line however. The Illinois River Bridge at Seneca was a weak structure, and would eventually be an expensive replacement.
The railroad was split between Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (Big Four), and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific. Each owned half of the beltway.
In addition, by 1900 the Indiana, Illinois and Iowa Railroad would be completed to DePue; nearly 40 miles west. This allowed for a connection to the Rock Island at that point, as well at connections from other railroads.
This new beltline would be better engineered, and in turn see better traffic.
Kankakee to Seneca, IL, 1882 Owned by: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Operated by: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. The drainage basin surrounding the Kankakee River and its major Indiana tributary, the Yellow River, once was home to the second-largest freshwater marsh in the United States.
Seneca Kankakee Il
In 1906, The New York Central acquired the Big Four, continuing to operate it as a separate entity.
By 1933, the railroad would be abandoned nearly in entirety. The NYC cut its ties with the railroad, and the Rock Island became the sole owner and operator of the remaining stub.
The only part that remained would be from Seneca, across the Illinois River to a grain terminal.
The Rock Island went belly up in 1980, and the entire system was abandoned.
The Chessie System picked up the line in 1981, and was in turn merged into CSX Transportation in 1986.
CSX is the current operator of this line, a spur off of their New Rock Subdivision, operating between Blue Island and Ottawa.
01/18/20
It is unknown exactly when the bridge was built, but it is believed that it was constructed in approximately 1900.
Originally, the bridge was constructed with four 6-panel pin connected Pratt Through Trusses. These trusses were set onto stone piers.
In 1916, a train crashed through the southern span of this bridge. As a result, that truss was replaced with a pair of deck girder spans in 1916.
Another alteration was made to the bridge in approximately 1932, when the center of the remaining trusses had a lift span installed. Similar to the situation at Ottawa, Illinois; this lift mechanism was incorporated into the existing trusses.
1910 View of Bridge; Courtesy Google Books
Today, the bridge serves as a short spur to a Dupont plant on the south bank. The bridge is unique for its alterations that are old enough to be historic. Further alterations included the encasement of the original 1880s piers and abutments with concrete.
Overall, the bridge remains in good condition. The future of the structure is unknown, as it is little used and is a navigation hazard.
Kankakee & Seneca Railroad
The author has ranked this bridge as being regionally significant, due to the unique design.
The photo above is an overview.
| Upstream | Aux Sable Lift Bridge |
| Downstream (North Canal) | Marseilles Nabisco Bridge #1 |
| Downstream (South Canal) | Marseilles Nabisco Bridge #3 |
Train Station Kankakee and Seneca Railroad Bonfield, Ill This is a mixed passenger and freight train
Hogan Grain Elevator; Kankakke and Seneca R.R. Tracks
Seneca, Illinois Kankakee and Seneca Railroad Tracks
Blue Line Marks the Course of the Kankakee and Seneca Rail Road
Kankakee Il Map
In 1881, the Chicago and Rock Island and the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and Saint Louis Rail Roads incorporated a joint venture to build a line between Kankakee and Seneca, Illinois. The K and S had its own crew and agents. Villages along the line included: Bonfield, Freilings, Union Hill, Coster, Gardner, Booth , Mazon, Wauponsee and Langham.
The K and S was a single track, standard gauge steam line. The track between Kankakee and Seneca was 42.2 miles. It also had a yard and side tracks totaling 6.7 miles. There were train stations in Bonfield, Essex, Gardner and Mazon. Only one of these still exists. This was at Bonfield. It was built in 1881. Its dimension were 50 feet in length; 20 feet wide; 16 feet high. There was a peaked roof. When the line ceased operations during the depression, the village sold the building to a local farmer. He moved it to his farm and used it a tool shed. The current owners of this farm offered the village the former train depot.
The K and S offered passenger and freight service. However, like many other businesses during the depression, it ceased operation and was abandoned on February 24, 1933. There is very little evidence of the existence of this train line.
Remnant of the K and S Line