The Cedar Bend Drawbridge was built in 1887 by a forerunner of the Soo Line Railroad as part of its Minneapolis to Sault Ste Marie mainline. This route carried passenger traffic until 1961. This rail line was sold to the Wisconsin Central Railroad, which was subsequently bought out by the Canadian National Railroad in 2001. The major user of the bridge today is the Osceola & Saint Croix Valley Railway, a tourist railroad line run by the Minnesota Transportation Museum.

The Saint Croix River was once a major working river, carrying both boat traffic and large groups of floating logs. To accommodate river traffic, the Cedar Bend bridge was built as a swing span with a long wooden trestle on the eastern approach. In modern times, there is no longer river navigation, and the logging industry is played out. The result is that the bridge is no longer required to accommodate river navigation. The swing span has been welded in the closed position, essentially converting it into a fixed span. The wooden trestles have since been replaced with concrete piers and steel plate girder spans.

The Cedar Bend Drawbridge is located over a mile from any roads or trails. The land in this area is posted. As a result, it is virtually impossible to visit and photograph this bridge. Even by water, it is a long trip from civilization. The photo above was taken by Shawn Schoenberger, whose father worked for the Soo Line and crossed this bridge many times during his career. The image below is clipped from Google Maps.