1887 Dillon Military and 1879 Hale Bridges over, and 1912 Dam on, Wapsipinicon River in Anamosa, IA

Military: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; HAER; Satellite)

Hale: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; HAER: Satellite)

Dam: (Satellite)

Today, I researched two bridges built by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company. The Hale bridge below is one of them, and the Bridge Street Movable Bridge in Piermont, NY is the other.

The dam is behind the Military Bridge.

Street View, Aug 2021

Iowa Road Trip posted

Hale Bridge in Anamosa, Iowa

Hale Bridge is a historic bowstring through-arch truss bridge. The bridge was completed in 1879, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.  In 2006, the bridge was flown by a chinook helicopter from its original location to Anamosa, Iowa.  Today it serves as a pedestrian-only bridge located south of the Wapsipinicon State Park on Shaw Road in Anamosa, Iowa.   Brian Abeling / Iowa Road Trip

The height of the dam is 19' (5.8m). [LansingStateJournal]

May 2024:

Carol Thumma posted four photos with the comment: "It's been a long time since I've seen the Wapsipinicon flowing like this over the Dam in Anamosa.  Thanking God for the needed rain!"

Steve Chapman: Last year there was no water coming over it . People were walking on it and fishing off of it .

Thank God for the rain.

[The dam is owned by an electric company, but I could not find its megawatt capacity.]

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krcproject, photo by Mike Roeder
Built 1912. This source specifies a height of 8' (2.4m). Two swimmers drowned in 1974.

HAER IOWA,53-ANAM,1--15 (CT)
GENERAL VIEW OF EAST SIDE LOOKING WEST, ROLLER DAM AND RURAL ELECTRICAL FACILITY IN FOREGROUND AND CURRENT HIGHWAY 151 BRIDGE IN BACKGROUND. - Wapsipinicon River Bridge, Spanning Wapsipinicon River at former State Highway 151, Anamosa, Jones County, IA

"Significance: Unaltered example of a metal Pratt through truss, unusual lattice vertical posts which may be unique to the Milwaukee Bridge and Iron Co." [HAER_data_military]

HAER IOWA,53-ANAM,1--7
OBLIQUE VIEW OF THE WEB SYSTEM LOOKING NORTHEAST, SHOWING ROLLER DAM AND ELECTRIC COMPANY IN BACKGROUND. - Wapsipinicon River Bridge, Spanning Wapsipinicon River at former State Highway 151, Anamosa, Jones County, IA

Street View, Jun 2022

 HAER IOWA,53-OXFJ.V,1--14 (CT)
ELEVATION FROM WEST - Hale Bridge, Spanning Wapsipinicon River, Oxford Junction, Jones County, IA

"Significance: The three-span Hale Bridge is a striking, and extremely rare, example of what was once a common bridge form: the bowstring arch-truss. In the 1860s and 1870s bowstring arch-trusses were used extensively because of their great structural efficiency and relatively low construction costs. The Hale Bridge is an excellent example of the work of the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company, a major bridge fabricator who erected great number of this type of bridge throughout the nation, including many in Iowa." [HAER_data_hale]

HAER IOWA,53-OXFJ.V,1--8
8. BARREL VIEW FROM SOUTH - Hale Bridge, Spanning Wapsipinicon River, Oxford Junction, Jones County, IA

"Approximately 20-25 personnel and two CH-47 “Chinook” helicopters airlifted three separate, rehabilitated trusses of the historic Hale Bridge from the Olin/Hale area to their new home at the Wapsipinicon State Park in Anamosa.....Bowstring types like this one with their distinctive arched or curved trusses largely replaced wooden bridges over major streams and crossings in Iowa in the 1870s and 1880s. While there were literally hundreds of bowstring arch bridges in Iowa by the end of the 19th century, only 21 now remain scattered across the state in Allamakee, Bremer, Crawford, Dubuque, Johnson, Jones, Montgomery, Poweshiek, and Winnishiek counties." [IowaHistory]

It was not a tandem lift for the smaller spans. I wonder if it was a tandem lift for the longer span. They would have to fly side-by-side, one at each end of the span. A tandem lift would be a very challenging training session for the Iowa Army National Guard.

kcci8

1880 Bridge Street Bridge over Sparkill Creek in Piermont, NY

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Today, I researched two bridges built by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company. This is one of them, and the Hale Bowstring Iron Bridge at Anamosa, IA is the other.

Street View, Sep 2016

Street View, Jul 2019

Christopher R Hernandez posted four photos with the comment: "ridge Street Bridge, Sparkill Creek, Piermont, NY.  Built 1880 by King Iron Bridge Company of Cleveland.  Hand cranked bridge."

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Digitally Zoomed

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HsitoricBridges
Nathan rates this bridge with two 10s.
"This is the oldest known surviving bascule bridge in the United States and the only known example in the country of a simple archaic draw bridge design. As a movable bridge it is truly tiny, and would have only allowed very small boats to pass. The creek it is located on is also very small. Bridges of this design are more common in Europe. The bridge was hand-operated and simple counterweighted chains would wrap around the counterweight sheaves to pull the bascule leaf up. In this manner it resembles a medieval castle drawbridge. The bascule leaf and the approach span has riveted connections, making it an extremely early surviving rivet-connected truss bridge in the United States. The bridge has been bypassed and preserved in place for pedestrians. The bridge retains good historic integrity considering its age, although some rivets on the trusses have been replaced with bolts. The rivets that survive have a primitve appearance to them indicative of the early use of rivets. Because of its rarity and age it is one of the most unique and important historic bridges in the state. The bridge is worthy of consideration of National Register National Significance."

Street View, Oct 2025

Locks and Dams on the Monongahela River Overview

QuimbysCruisingGuide

USACE via pfbc

Going upstream (north to south)

1902,1953,2004 Braddock (#2) (Satellite) 11.2

1907-2027 Elizabeth (#3) (Satellite) 23.8

1932 John P. Murtha/Charleroi (#4) (Satellite) 41.5

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1965 Maxwell (Satellite) 61.2

1995 Grays Landing (#7) (Satellite) 82.0

1994 Point Marion (#8) (Satellite) 90.8

1950 Morgantown (Satellite) 102.0

1960 Hildebrand (Satellite) 108.0

1964 Opekiska (Satellite)

Perry Lake Dam on Delaware River near Topeaka, KS

(Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2007

Facebook Reel

Jun 12, 2026 closures. Most of these facilities opened by Jun 24, 2026.

Perry Lake, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers posted

Due to flooding, the following closures are in effect until further notice...

BOAT RAMPS

Old Town Boat Ramp 

Longview Boat Ramp

Devils Gap Boat Ramp

CAMPSITES

Rock Creek Campground

• All of Peninsula C-loop (PC63-PC78)

Slough Creek Campground

• Bur Oak 11

• Southpoint 10-13-17-19-21-65-67-70

• Limestone Cove Group Camp

Oldtown Campground

• B5

We are monitoring the situation and will update as conditions change.

"The dam consists of a rolled earth-fill embankment about 7,750 feet long, constructed to an elevation approximately 95 feet above the streambed with gated outlet works and a gated chute-type spillway in the left abutment. The outlet works is located in the center of the dam and includes several features. The outlet conduit, which is 23.5 feet in diameter and 564.25 feet long, extends through the earth embankment with approach and outlet channels. It is preceded by two rectangular passages of 11.75 feet wide and 23.5 feet high. Each passage contains an emergency gate and a service gate. Both gates are hydraulically operated. Discharges enter a concrete stilling basin immediately downstream of the outlet conduit. Two rows of staggered baffle blocks reduce the velocity of the water before it goes into the outlet channel. The intake structure and control tower contain all of the operating machinery and equipment." [USACE]

I could not find the "gated chute-type spillway" on a satellite map.

1831 Wisconsin Avenue/High Street Bridge over C&O Canal in Washington, DC

(Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

C&O Canal Overview

Street View, Oct 2024

Zooming out for more context.

Street View, Oct 2024

A view from when there was water in the canal.

Street View, Aug 2021

Bob Dover posted

The High Street Bridge, now renamed the Wisconsin Avenue Bridge, is the oldest bridge in the District of Columbia.  The bridge was constructed in 1831 to carry the Georgetown High Street across the newly constructed C&O Canal. Even though it carries busy vehicle and pedestrian traffic on what is now Wisconsin Avenue just a block from M Street, one of the busiest thoroughfares and shopping districts in the city, its historic importance is known to few DC residents, and even fewer tourists and visitors. There is little car traffic in this area, because the streets are not through streets, and there is very little public parking available in the narrow sliver of land south of the canal. Even cars and pedestrians crossing the bridge are unlikely to notice that it is historic, because it is a sub-structure arch bridge with no superstructure above the deck.

The only way to view the bridge is to walk along the C&O Canal towpath beneath the arch, and the early date and historic importance of the bridge will become immediately apparent to even casual

observers. The sandstone blocks range in color from tan to orange, with many of them blackened by decades of weathering and burning of coal. On the western side of the bridge, the block above the keystone identifies John Cox as the Mayor of Georgetown, and James Dunlop as Recorder. The keystone below this block is inscribed with the construction date of 1831. None of these inscriptions are easy to read from the towpath, but they can be read with binoculars or a telephoto camera lens.

The obelisk on the northwest corner of the High Street Bridge also deserves a visit. This monument was erected in 1850, to commemorate the completion of the C&O Canal to its western terminus at Cumberland. The obelisk itself is only about five feet high, but sits on a square, white marble base that is also about five feet high. The base is engraved, on all four sides, with the names of the engineers, directors, and other officials associated with the construction of the canal.

When I looked for the obelisk, I found construction activity. I assume the obelisk will be replaced after the construction is done.

Street View, Dec 2024

When I looked at older views to find the obelisk, I went back to 2018 because that was before they did the retaining wall work on the south side of the canal.

Street View, Oct 2018

Aban/B&O #5 Tunnel near Claysville, PA and US-40

West Portal: (Satellite, this link has photos.)

East Portal: (Satellite)

Bridges & Tunnels by Sherman Cahal posted four photos with the comment:

This is Tunnel No. 5 of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad’s Wheeling-Pittsburgh Subdivision. Completed in 1857 for the Hempfield Railroad, it remained in active railroad service until 1985, when the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad sought to abandon the line because of declining freight, particularly coal traffic.

A portion of the former rail corridor has since been converted into a rail trail west of the tunnel. However, the reuse of Tunnel Nos. 4 and 5 has been delayed by falling brickwork in one tunnel and an unresolved dispute with a private landowner.

🔗 More photographs and the full history are available through the link in the comments. A visit helps support Bridges & Tunnels's ongoing work documenting these places through research, photography, and preservation-focused storytelling.

Bridges & Tunnels by Sherman Cahal:

🔗 https://bridgestunnels.com/.../tunnel-no-5-baltimore.../

🔗 https://abandonedonline.net/.../baltimore-ohio-railroad.../

For more photographs and the full history, visit Bridges & Tunnels, an independent, ad-supported website that has been documenting bridges, tunnels, and other infrastructure for 20 years. Every visit helps keep this work going by supporting travel, research, photography, and website hosting.

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1964/66 Claysville Quad @ 24,000

While looking for the tunnel, I noticed the "Old National Pike." Sure enough, US-40 and I-70 go through here. US-40 Overview

TopoMapExplore

1958

Pedestrian Bridges over Cedar River in Charles City, IA

1906-2008: (Archived Bridge Hunter returns 503; Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

2010 Replacement: (Satellite)

1910-2018: (Archived Bridge Hunter returns 503; Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

1905-2008 Suspension

This bridge was destroyed by a flash flood on Jun 8, 2008.

Postcard via BridgeHunter

Postcard via BridgeHunter_1906

I wonder when the additional bracing was added. Note that every third suspender was rigid pipes with diagonal bracing instead of cables. I presume this was done to reduce lateral sway in the deck. I can imagine that the thin deck originally moved too much for pedestrian comfort.

2007 photo by Jason and Birgit Smith via BridgeHunter_1906, cropped

2007 photo by Jason and Birgit Smith via BridgeHunter_1906

The replacement was opened on Oct 25, 2010. The replacement has trusses to stiffen the deck.

Andrea Strauss posted
Pedestrian bridge across the Cedar River - Charles City, lowa.

Street View, Jul 2021

1910-2010 Closed-Spandrel Arch

2013 photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter_1910

2013 photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter_1910

Evidently, it was built for an interurban.

Roger Puta photo scanned by Marty Bernard via BridgeHunter_1910

The only image I could find of the 2018 replacement was a shadow of the bridge.

Satellite