1877 Eveland (Wilson's Ferry) Bridge over Des Moines River near Oskaloosa, IA

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

This 647' (197m) long  bridge has four 164' (50m) spans. [BridgeHunter]

HAER IOWA,62-OSK.V,2- -1
1. 3/4 VIEW FROM SOUTHWEST - Eveland Bridge, Spanning Des Moines River at 285th Street, Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, IA

"Significance: The Eveland Bridge is a rare example of a multiple-span Whipple truss bridge. A less common variation on the Pratt truss, the Whipple truss was seldom used for wagon trusses in Iowa, and only seven remain today. Spanning the Des Moines River, the Eveland Bridge was the primary connection for southwest Mahaska County and played a major role in county commerce for decades after its erection." [HAER_data]

HAER IOWA,62-OSK.V,2- -5
5. 3/4 VIEW FROM SOUTHEAST, VERTICAL

Aug 2015 photo by Chris Meiners via BridgeHunter

Aug 2015 photo by Chris Meiners via BridgeHunter

Aug 2015 photo by Chris Meiners via BridgeHunter

The Eveland Bridge with an 1877 construction date is perhaps the oldest Des Moines River Bridge remaining today. The bridge was originally built as a four span Whipple truss, but the northernmost span was replaced in 1903 with a Pratt through truss following a major flood which wiped out that span. Today, as a bridge containing three Whipple truss spans, it is one of the only known examples in the entire country of a highway truss containing more than two Whipple truss spans. 

There are several extremely rare and significant pin-connected truss bridges on the lower section of the Des Moines River. Each are distinguished as rare surviving examples of large, multi-span examples of their type. Among them, the Eveland Bridge stands out as the earliest example, and for its rare Whipple truss configuration and cast iron connection assemblies. The bridge was built by the Western Bridge Works of Fort Wayne, Indiana, in their first year of operating. The Western Bridge Works was a short lived company formed by two men, one an agent from Toledo, Ohio's Smith Bridge Company. The Western Bridge Works did well initially, but did not last long, shutting down in 1885. Based on HAER documentation, the firm was apparently known simply as as McKay and Nelson, after the names of the two people running it prior (or during) the formation of Western Bridge Works in 1877.

[HistoricBridges]

John Poston posted
Near Tracy, IA. DesMoines river.

John Poston commented on his post

1869-1873 Collapsed Truesdell Bridge over Rock River in Dixon, IL

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite, this is the location of the historic marker.)

When I did a Google search for "dixon il people bridge" to research the "People Bridge," most of the results were about this tragedy.

StructureMag

hmdb, cropped

WTTW
The Silver Bridge collapse on the Ohio River also had 46 fatalities. But it nine injuries compared to the 56 injuries cause by this collapse.

“It’s not as though the bridge just collapsed and went straight down,” says Tom Wadsworth, 70, a retired magazine editor and expert on the calamity. “It turns over on top of these people. ... As the (Chicago) Tribune said, the truss ‘fell over with the weight and imprisoned the doomed in an iron cage with which they sunk and from which there was no escape.’”

Wadsworth wouldn’t be telling the story had Gertie Wadsworth, his great-grandmother, not survived. Family lore holds that as Goble, 51, plunged to her death, she tossed the toddler into the river beyond the reach of the failing superstructure. The tot was rescued downstream.

...

“You could look down and see their faces. They couldn’t get to the surface because all that iron was on top of them,” Wadsworth said. “It’s frightening to look down, but to look up and to see daylight, to be only 12 inches from air?”

[WTTW]

In better times.

BridgeHunter

This shows that the bridge could easily hold 200 people if they are distributed across the bridge. The bridge collapsed because the 200 spectators were concentrated on the sidewalk on the west side near the north end of the bridge.

BridgeHunter

"Before the opening, the bridge was test loaded in a fashion by placing “four harnessed teams hauling stone, a load of flour, and a large group of bystanders, all weighing at least 45 tons.”" The City Engineer advised the city council to not accept Truesdell's bid. They had 13 other proposals to choose from. In fact, some on the council were accused of accepting bribes. But that was never proven. [StructureMag]

It hurts my head that the authorities would use people as part of a load test. What if the bridge failed the test?

1906 Abandoned/SP Bridge over Guadalupe River near Comfort, TX

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

Street View, Aug 2023

2014 photo by Royce and Bobette Haley via BridgeHunter

Lonestar Hippie Hiker posted
One of my favorite old bridges to photograph.
Lonestar Hippie Hiker shared

Elizabeth Rowland commented on Lonestar Hippie Hiker's post

Elizabeth Rowland commented on Lonestar Hippie Hiker's post
Love it too, in high school in the late 1970's there was an abandoned home on that road that we thought was haunted, the occasional squeal of the windmill would get us running away, ha; we loved that bridge and think we had more access to it then.

Gary Miller commented on Lonestar Hippie Hiker's post

Gary Miller commented on Lonestar Hippie Hiker's post

Gary Miller commented on Lonestar Hippie Hiker's post

Michael B Huwar commented on Lonestar Hippie Hiker's post

Lonestar Hippie Hiker posted
From the side of the road..... 
Lonestar Hippie Hiker shared

This photo shows that the two longer spans are pin connected and were built in 1900. Other photos show that the shorter span was built in 1906. I wonder if the 1906 span replaced a part of the wood trestle that got washed out during a flood.

2014 photo by Royce and Bobette Haley via BridgeHunter
[Thay have provided a lot of detail photos in BridgeHunter.]

1964/66 Waring Quad @ 24,000

1887+1899+1914+1971+2023 Gaysport Bridge over Muskingum river at Gaysport, OH

1887: (Archived Bridge Hunter)

1889: (Archived Bridge Hunter)

1914: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1971: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; Satellite)

1887 Bridge

This bridge had three covered bridge spans and one pony truss swing span. The covered spans were destroyed by a storm within a couple of years of completion. [ArchivedBridgeHunter_1887]

1889 Bridge

"Built 1889 by Smith Bridge Co.; destroyed in 1913 flood" [ArchivedBridgeHunter_1889]

This source disagrees with ArchivedBridgeHunter_1889 concerning the completion date. This source says it was built a decade later. I'm assuming 1899 was a typo. In fact, the Facebook parent post states: "The first bridge was a covered structure erected in 1887 which only lasted for about one year." But they also say: "In 1899 a steel bridge was built which lasted until the 1913 Flood."

Muskingum County History posted via ArchivedBridgeHunter_1889
The Pratt through truss bridge over the Muskingum River at Gaysport which stood from 1899-1913 as it appeared in 1908. The bridge was lengthened in 1904 due to a widening of the river channel. That might explain the pony truss section in the foreground (but we are always open to suggestions).

1914 Bridge

This source also indicates that the bridge was replaced a decade after the covered bridge was destroyed. So I changed the title from 1889 to 1899, but I kept 1889 in the Bridge Hunter references.

1971 Photo by The Times Recorder via BridgeHunter_1914

"It appears that the simple Pratt through and pony spans from the 1889 structure survived the 1913 flood and were reused for the 1914 bridge." [ArchivedBridgeHunter_1914]

Muskingum County History posted
The Muskingum River bridge at Gaysport which stood from 1914-1971.

Muskingum County History posted
A wide view of the Muskingum River bridge at Gaysport. The photo is undated but is likely from 1970 or 1971. The span on the far left looks like a swing span, something we hadn't realized until viewing this photo.

1971 Bridge

Jeff Shroyer posted
Gaysport, OH over the Muskingum River on what were piers of a prior bridge.
Jeff Shryer shared
Muskingum Co OH:  4 span bridge at Gaysport, OH.  This pony truss was built in 1970 and sits on river piers built for a nineteenth century covered bridge.  The bridge has since been replaced.

Muskingum County History posted
The current [posted Sep 25, 2020] Warren polygonal chord pony truss bridge over the Muskingum River at Gaysport as it appeared in November 1971.

Photo by Janis Ford via BridgeHunter_1971

2020 Photo by Jeff Shroyer via BridgeHunter_1971

2024 Bridge

It looks like they retained the 1887 piers, but they reinforced the bases. And it looks like a steel-girder bridge.

Street View, Apr 2025

It officially opened in the first month of 2024, 11 months ahead of schedule. It cost $7.25m. The 1971 bridge was made of weathering steel. That is why it lasted only 50 years. The 2024 bridge is made with galvanized steel and is expected to last 75-80 years. [whiznews]

Street View, Aug 2023

galvanizeit
It actually opened in Nov 2023. The sandstone piers were reused because federal funding required it.
[This webpage provides a nice summary.]
"The Gaysport Bridge in southern Muskingum County has had four bridges at this location: the first bridge was a wooden covered structure erected in 1887 which lasted one year. The second bridge was a steel bridge which was built in 1899 and lasted until the 1913 flood. The third bridge which spanned the river from 1914 to 1971 was a through truss bridge. The fourth bridge was a steel bridge built in 1971 and lasted until 2021, the last number of years it was reduced to a one-lane bridge. The fifth bridge was just built and opened in November of this year [2023]."

mtboats has several photos of the bridges.

1878,1938 Vehicle/Rock Island Bridge over Old Des Moines River Channel near Harvey, IA

(Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; no Historic Bridges; Satellite)

"Built 1878 by the American Bridge Works. for the CRI&P Railroad; Converted for vehicular use in 1938." The 600' (183m) long bridge has four wrought-iron spans of 149' (45m). [BridgeHunter]

I included the label "metalIron" since this bridge was made with wrought iron.

Jeff Badger, Juhn 2025

Emily Willis posted

Harvey Railroad Bridge in Harvey, Iowa

It’s an old railroad bridge that now serves as a narrow level B road over an old channel of the Des Moines River. During the summer, the trees nearly cover the top of the trusses, making a canopy over the bridge. It’s an interesting place to explore. You’re welcome to drive across the bridge or you can park just before the bridge and explore by foot.  Brian Abeling / Iowa Road Trip

Dennis DeBruler commented on Emily's post
This 1912 topo map of the Pella Quadrant shows Harvey Island. The bridge used to belong to the Rock Island Railroad.

Note that there are more tie-bars near the middle of the span than at the ends. That is because the tension forces of the lower chord are highest in the middle of the span.

1017 Photo by John Marvig via BridgeHunter

Unfortunately, this description is wrong. The CB&Q never crossed the river; and, according to a satellite map, that route still exists. Rock Island owned this bridge and abandoned it before 1938.

After the Des Moines Valley Railroad was completed in northeastern Marion County in 1866, the citizens of Knoxville began agitating for a railroad line that would link the southern and central parts of the county with a national railroad. A line named the Albia, Knoxville and Des Moines (AK&D;) Railroad was planned, and in 1870 Liberty, Indiana, Knoxville and Pleasant Grove Townships approved a special tax to help defray the construction costs for the proposed rail line. But the railroad fell short of completion, and after a period of litigation, the subscriptions and subsidies were acquired by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q;) Railroad in 1875. With far better financing than the AK&D;, the CB&Q; was able to complete the line to Knoxville, with the first train rolling into town in December 1875. The following year the town of Harvey was platted near where the CB&Q; line crossed the Des Moines River. The railroad first employed ferries or a temporary bridge over the river at this point. In 1878, however, it contracted with the American Bridge Company of Chicago to fabricate a wrought iron truss as a permanent bridge for this crossing. The structure consisted of four pinned Pratt through trusses, supported by stone abutments and piers. It is not known whether American Bridge or the railroad itself erected the trusses, but the Harvey Railroad Bridge was completed by the time the line was completed through the county to Des Moines in 1879. It carried railroad traffic until 1938, when the county purchased the bridge and adjoining right-of-way and converted it into a county road. Although the river itself has been re-routed to the north, leaving the bridge with nothing to cross, the Harvey Railroad Bridge continues to function in place in unaltered condition. It is today a well-preserved example of early railroad truss construction in Iowa (adapted from Fraser 1992).

[ArchivedBridgeHutner]

Milwaukee+WI-34 Bridges over Wisconsin River near Dancy, WI

1894: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter)

1980: (Satellite)

It was a pinned truss. [BridgeHunter]

Trisha Barnes posted

This is probably something that should remain forgotten…

A one lane bridge attached to the Milwaukee Road railroad bridge spanning the Wisconsin River, highway 34 between Dancy and Knowlton (near the Marble Bar & Mullin’s Cheese)

Could be scary with a train, or waiting for oncoming traffic

Was eventually replaced with a real bridge.

Photo by 📷 John Strom

Michael Anas: I drove across that bridge with the big Milwaukee Journal trucks on Sunday mornings in the late 70s and early 80s. Had just a bit of clearance left and right. It had a sign not to cross the bridge when a train was present.

Photo via BridgeHunter via Pinterest, cropped

Credit: Wausau Daily Herald: March 14, 1979, via BridgeHunter

Street View, May 2025

US-77 1896,1937+1981,83 Siouxland Veterans Memorial Bridge over Missouri River at Sioux City, IA

1896: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; HAER)

1981: (Archived Bridge Hunter; Bridge Hunter; John Weeks III; Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2023

John Weeks
This 1,502' (458m) long bridge has a main span of 425' (130m).
The navigation channel is 400' (122m) by 80' (24.4m).
"An inspection in early May, 1982, found a fracture across the full width of the downstream horizontal tie girder. The fracture was heavily corroded, suggesting that the fracture happened just after the bridge was opened. Further investigation revealed that the strength of the steel varied considerably, with some of the steel not meeting minimum strength specifications. The bridge was closed on May 6, 1982. It remained totally closed for 7 months, with 2 lanes reopening on December 9, 1982. The repairs were completed and the bridge was fully reopened on May 9, 1983."
[When I had seen the rehabilitation date of 1983, I wonder what went wrong in less than two years. Now I wonder which country provided the steel.]
"Highway US-77 once ran north and south from border to border. The northern section of the road became redundant when Interstate I-29 was completed. As a result, US-77 was truncated at the interchange located at the north end of the Siouxland bridge."

Street View, Jun 2024

Sujit Ingle, Apr 2023

The 1896 bridge was built with two swing spans because steamboats are what made this town. It was called the Combination Bridge because it originally carried both railroad and vehicular traffic.

HAER IOWA,97-SIOCI,1--2, cropped
2. General View of the Bridge from Prospect Hill, looking SE. - Pacific Shortline Bridge, U.S. Route 20,spanning Missouri River, Sioux City, Woodbury County, IA

HAER IOWA,97-SIOCI,1--1, cropped
1. General View of the Bridge from the South Shore, looking WNW.

A good view of the surviving swing span.

HAER IOWA,97-SIOCI,1--8
8. 3/4 View of Bridge from South Shore, looking NNE.

"The Pacific Short Line Combination Bridge was the work of three prominent names in the late 19th century American engineering: J.A.L. Waddell (chief engineer), Charles Sooysmith's Sooysmith & Company.(foundations and piers), and the Phoenix Iron and Bridge companies (fabricators and erectors). The dates of the Pacific Short Line Bridge (1890-1896) make it among the early largescale works of both Waddell and Sooysmith. It is also one of Waddell.'s and Phoenix's earliest efforts in steel bridge design and construction, at a time when the use of steel was still not universally accepted, particularly for spans of the size of the Pacific Short Line bridge. As constructed, the bridge consisted of two 470' [143m] rimbearing through Pratt swing spans and two 500' [152m] Pennsylvania through trusses. All spans were pin-connected. The bridge was built at least partially as Sioux City's response to changing developments in Upper Missouri transportation systems, as westward running railroads supplanted steamboats, which were instrumental in the city's early growth, as the principal carriers of people, goods and raw materials during the 1880's." [HAER_data]

2009 photo by Jack Schmidt via BridgeHunter

safe_image for The Bridges of Sioux City, Iowa, Photo by Jack Schmidt
The second bridgehunting tour takes us to Sioux City, Iowa. In 2022, a museum curator did a presentation on the city's bridges, dating back to the first crossing in 1865. That presentation is now available for viewing. Enjoy the tour: 

This is that presentation:

51:11 video

"The Siouxland Veterans Memorial Bridge, from Sioux City, Nebraska, to Sioux City, Iowa, was opened to traffic in January 1981. In May 1982 Iowa Department of Transportation personnel discovered a fracture across the full width of the top flange on the down stream tie girder. The investigation into the cause of the fracture included chemical and physical testing and fractographic and metallographic examinations. Results of the latter examinations showed that the fracture originated at a gas-flame-cut edge of the 2 3/4-in.-thick A588 flange plate. It arrested at least once at a depth of 0.37 in. and possibly earlier at a depth of about 0.05 in. before propagating in a brittle mode across the flange. The fracture surface was heavily corroded, indicating that the fracture had occurred long before its discovery. The physical tests indicated that the plate in which the fracture occurred did not meet the specified toughness requirements. Additional tests on samples of material extracted from other parts of the girders revealed highly variable toughness properties, some of which did not meet the requirements of the specifications either." [pubsindex]

"Steel for the bridge was provided by two suppliers, one who furnished most of the flange plates, and the other who furnished the remainder of the flange plates and all of the web plates....A number of locations were found where the toughness did not meet the specified requirement. Locations where 21 /2-in.-thick plates did not meet the requirement were also found. At this point in the investigation, an offer was made to IDOT by the supplier of the fractured plate to replace all flange plates that had been furnished by the supplier. This offer was accepted. Work to replace these flange plates was completed in spring 1983." To replace the flanges, they had to remove the dead load off of the tie girders. To do this, they built falsework and then jacked up the superstructure. The bridge was opened to limited traffic while the flanges were being replaced. [onlinepubs]