June 2021.
Valley City, North Dakota.

Over the years, I followed Cee Neuner’s photo challenges and occasionally joined in on my blog. At one point, I realized I wasn’t seeing her posts anymore—and then I learned, through Marsha Ingrao, the sad news of Cee’s passing a few months ago. In her memory, Marsha Ingrao and another of Cee’s blogging friends, Dan Antion, organized a tribute challenge. Cee was known for hosting Flower of the Day and her Black-and-White Challenges. To honor her devotion to photography and community, I’ve created two black-and-white images of one of her favorite subjects: bridges.

The trestle bridge in Valley City, North Dakota, is one of my favorite bridges to photograph. For those interested in the engineering details, here is a bit of background on this magnificent bridge. Spanning the Sheyenne River Valley, the Valley City Hi-Line Railroad Bridge—often simply called the Trestle—has anchored this quiet stretch of eastern North Dakota since 1908. Built by the Northern Pacific to straddle the valley’s steep descent, the bridge stretches nearly three-quarters of a mile and rises 162 feet (50 m) above the riverbed. Its 61 spans rest on 30 skeletal towers, each bolted into place with over 400,000 rivets and stabilized by deep concrete piers and timber pilings. The numbers are staggering: 14 million pounds of steel, 10,000 cubic feet (about 370 cubic yards) of concrete, and a workforce of 160 men who labored through two Dakota winters to complete it.

The bridge’s legacy isn’t just structural—it’s strategic. During both World Wars, it was guarded day and night against sabotage, a vital link in the Northern Pacific’s transcontinental artery. Freight still rumbles across its single track, now under the watch of BNSF, but the bridge has long since transcended its utilitarian roots. Designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, it stands as a monument to early 20th-century ambition and the quiet persistence of rail in the northern plains.

Cee’s challenges invited us to pause, observe, and share the beauty we found in everyday corners and sweeping spans alike. Her love of bridges—both literal and metaphorical—reminds me that photography, like blogging, is a way of connecting across distance and time. These images, rendered in black and white, are my small tribute to the clarity and community she fostered. May her legacy continue in every frame we post, every challenge we accept, and every moment we choose to see with intention.

Marsha’s blog: https://alwayswrite.blog

Dan’s blog: https://nofacilities.com/

John Steiner