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PHOTO GALLERY: Red Jacket trestle celebration

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  • A bicycle rider cruises along on the Red Jacket Trail's trestle bridge during a celebration of the reopening of the historic trestle Saturday. Pat Christman

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May 19, 2012

Bikers, walkers celebrate Red Jacket trestle's resurrection

By Pat Christman The Free Press

MANKATO — It was a fitting finale to the Mankato Bike and Walk Week as bikers and walkers gathered to celebrate the reopening of one of the area’s bicycling landmarks, the Red Jacket Trail trestle.

The bridge was in danger of collapse in 2010 when floodwaters damaged one of its concrete piers. After the bridge’s removal and an $857,000 project to rebuild the pier the trestle was made whole again. Bikers and walkers gathered Saturday not only to celebrate its reopening but to thank area officials for taking on the daunting task.

Visitors also got to recreate a famous 1911 photo featured on the cover of Julie Schrader’s book, “History of the Red Jacket Valley,” that featured a train on the trestle and people gathered on the former concrete car bridge. This time people gathered on the trestle and waved as photographers recreated the picture.

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