This bridge was completed on October 14, 1910 by the Idaho & Washington Northern Railroad. It soon encountered economic difficulties and the Milwaukee Road took over operation of the I&WN, purchasing the line in 1916. From the 1930s through the 1960s it was a lucrative railroad, hauling timber as well as cement from the Lehigh Portland Cement Company Plant in Metaline Falls. Experiencing declining revenues, in 1977 the Milwaukee Road announced that it would cease operating the 61-mile stretch from Newport to Metaline Falls.
On September 19, 1979, the Port of Pend Oreille, an entity created specifically to purchase and operate this 61 mile stretch of line, purchased it for the sum of $1,385,000, naming it the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad (
POVA). The purchase was undertaken simply to save jobs in the area, as the major employers were the cement plant and lumber companies. Though the cement plant is gone and some major lumber companies have moved on, the line continues to operate, hauling the odd trainload of cement stockpiled in Metaline Falls and lumber products.
As a tourist attraction, and to add revenue to the rail line, the
North Pend Oreille Valley Lions Club now offers excursions on the line, running from Metaline Falls to Ione and back. These
Lions Train Rides take place all summer and into October. As an added attraction the train stops on this bridge, allowing breath taking photo opportunities.