1888+? UP/C&NW/CMO: (Satellite) The 1888 bridge had four 300' spans. [SiouxCityMuseum]
1981 Veteran's Memorial: (Satellite)
CMO = Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad
I use the label "bridgeRare" to denote the pontoon bridge.
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| Sioux City Museum & Historical Association posted On this day in Sioux City history: A pontoon bridge across the Missouri River connecting Sioux City and Nebraska opened on May 18, 1889. Anchored at the foot of Pearl Street, the "bridge" was really a series of boats, covered with a plank roadway. The boats were anchored with 2000-pound blocks of granite. One section was constructed so that it could swing open and allow steamboats to pass through. As crude as it was, the bridge was easier to use than the ferry. Its opening was celebrated with more than 10,000 people reportedly paying the five-cent toll to cross over the river. For more about the pontoon bridge and other Missouri River bridges, visit SiouxCityMuseum.org/history-website/transportation-bridges. |
The navigation channel for the combination bridge was on the south side. That is why the swing span is out-of-frame to the left in the above photo.
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| photolibrarian Flickr |
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| SiouxCityMuseum "Originally, the plans were to make the bridge a double-decker, allowing wagons to cross on the top and trains on the bottom. That feature, however, was abandoned during the construction, and it ended up strictly a railroad bridge." The bridge was finished in 1888. Because it didn't allow vehicle traffic, the local businessman opened the pontoon bridge in 1889. The original bridge also reneged on the plan of allowing other railroads to use it by charging exorbitant fees. Because of the temporary nature of a pontoon bridge and the effective exclusion of other railroads, a bridge closer to the downtown was started in 1890. Because of the Panic of 1893, the bridge was not finished until Jan 21, 1896. In 1951, Nebraska and Iowa assumed ownership of the bridge. and they retired tolls were. |
It had two swing spans. The one on the Iowa side was removed in 1957. It was one of the earlier bridges made with steel instead of iron. The railroad that was supposed to use it went bankrupt before the bridge was completed. [HAER-data, p4,5]
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| Cindi Jones uploaded |
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| wikimapia |
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| SiouxCityMuseum |
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| Sioux City Museum & Historical Association posted A “Sioux City Journal” photographer captured this image on February 23, 1981 of the demolition of the north fixed span of the Combination Bridge. The bridge crossing the Missouri River had been in use for more than 85 years; it was replaced by the Veterans' Memorial Bridge. For more about the Combination Bridge, visit SiouxCityHistory.org/transportation/116-bridges. |
It does not look like there is enough room to open the swing span.
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| HAER IOWA,97-SIOCI,1--8 8. 3/4 View of Bridge from South Shore, looking NNE. - Pacific Shortline Bridge, U.S. Route 20, spanning Missouri River, Sioux City, Woodbury County, IA and IowaHighwayEnds |
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| HAER IOWA,97-SIOCI,1--2 2. General View of the Bridge from Prospect Hill, looking SE. and IowaHighwayEnds |
This shows that the tie-arch was built with falsework in the river rather than with tie-backs. I wonder how far north the 9' navigation channel went in 1980 on the Missouri River.
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| HAER IOWA,97-SIOCI,1--1 1. General View of the Bridge from the South Shore, looking WNW. |
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| Street View, Sep 2022 |
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