|
Hennepin Avenue Bridge (1855)
The Hennepin Avenue Bridge[a] was a bridge spanning the Mississippi River at Hennepin Avenue from the Minneapolis Bank to Nicollet Island. Built and completed in 1854 and opened in 1855, it was the first bridge to span the Mississippi. BackgroundIn the 1850s, the rock ledge above the Falls of St. Anthony was the only place where the Mississippi could be crossed in the area.[1] In the winter months a thick layer of ice made travel easy. The high waters of spring and summer, however, made passage over the river slow and unsafe.[2] Dakota would occasionally take travelers across in canoes.[1] In 1847, businessman Franklin Steele and his friend John Stevens established a rope ferry from Nicollet Island to the western side of the river to help travelers cross.[1] While the ferry helped initially, an increase in traffic necessitated new construction. In 1851, a bridge was built from St. Anthony to Nicollet Island to make the trek to the island easier for travelers. A short time later Steele and local business leaders took steps to build a bridge that would reach both sides of the river.[2] ConstructionOn March 4, 1852, Steele and his associates were granted a charter by the Territorial Legislature to build a bridge. The group formed the Mississippi Bridge Company and soon after began planning for a new bridge along the same path as the rope ferry. They hired engineer Thomas W. Griffith to head the construction project. Griffith and his team began work on a suspension-style bridge on May 5, 1854.[3] The cost of the completed bridge was $36,000 ($1.18 million in 2023).[4] The span of the bridge was 620 feet, and the cables dropped 47 feet from their towers.[1] The design was "of a modern character" and compared to the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge.[5] OpeningThe bridge was finished on December 5, 1854, and opened to the public on January 23, 1855.[1] It was the first bridge to be built across the Mississippi River.[1][6][3][4] The first railroad bridge would be completed the following year in Davenport, Iowa.[7] A grand celebration marked the opening. At one o'clock a large parade formed in front of the St. Charles Hotel in Saint Anthony, complete with sleighs filled with people, banners, and a marching band. Their route took them over a smaller bridge to Nicollet Island, where they were welcomed by a cannon blast as they stepped onto the bridge. After crossing the river, the parade moved through the business district of the municipality of Minneapolis and returned to St. Anthony. A celebratory dinner followed.[3][2] UseThe bridge began its life as a toll bridge, costing 25¢ ($8.18 in 2023) per team of horses and ($1.64 in 2023) per pedestrian.[1] The rapid growth of St. Anthony and Minneapolis meant that a new bridge would soon be needed. When the work began in 1854 there were roughly 450 inhabitants in Minneapolis and nearly a thousand in St. Anthony. By 1860 the cities' populations had grown to 2500 and 3200, respectively.[2] .jpg) In 1866, the Mississippi Bridge Company's charter expired and Hennepin County assumed control of the bridge, purchasing it for $37,500 ($780,341 in 2023).[8] The toll requirement continued until the bonds sold to buy the bridge were paid off in 1872.[8] Later years.jpg) When St. Anthony officials agreed to merge their city with Minneapolis, the county-owned bridge was turned over to the new city.[8] Now a single entity, its connection over the river became even more important. Calls to build a new bridge to handle increased traffic multiplied almost immediately. A second suspension bridge was built directly to the north of the first one. Thomas Griffith was once again hired to serve as engineer.[2] On February 22, 1877, the second Hennepin suspension bridge opened.[9][10] The bridge was demolished soon after the second bridge opened.[2] Notes
References
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hennepin Avenue Bridge (1855). Information related to Hennepin Avenue Bridge (1855) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.jpg)
