This was the railroad line that gave name to the famous song, "The Rock Island Line"
It ran through here from 1895 when the nearby bridge and trestle were constructed, through sometime before 1980, when the Rock Island Line went bankrupt. We aren't certain of the final year that it rolled across these rails, but when you see the size of some of the trees that have grown between the rails, you'll probably agree with us that it was probably several years earlier than that.
The bridge, and the rails that you are about to walk, were at least 65 years old when the engine in the photograph above was built!