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The Rock Island Government Bridge
Railroads in the 1850’sprovided a new way to transport goods in the Upper Mississippi Valley. Direct transport of goods to and from the East by land rather than by water to St. Louis or New Orleans appeared to be a threat to the steamboat industry. Because of the steamboat monopoly on transportation of goods, prices were high. When the first bridge across the Mississippi was built at Rock Island, Steamboat Packet companies definitely felt their livelihood threatened. The bridge was not constructed in the best manner. Major Floyd of the Corps of Engineers remarked in his 1856 report,“I look upon that bridge, as now located and constructed, being situated at the narrowest point on the rapids, where the current has the greatest velocity, and the piers at an angle to the current, to be a greater obstruction to the navigation of the Rock Island rapids than all the balance of the rapids besides” (Tweet).

On May 6, 1856 the steamboat, Effie Afton, was making a trip north to Minneapolis- St. Paul and, passing under the bridge, hit one of the pilings. Proceeding a little ways further the paddlewheel stopped operating and the boat was carried by the current back downriver, crashing into the bridge. A fire ignited the Effie Afton destroying the boat. This accident was fuel for the boat owners to sue the railroad and the bridge company, which was owned by the railroad. Abraham Lincoln was hired by the railroad as their defense attorney against the suit. The boat owners didn’t win the suit. They appealed the decision but when it got to the Supreme Court, with the Civil War raging and all its inherent problems, the court did not rule in favor of the boat owners.

In 1857, 1,667 boats and rafts passed the Rock Island bridge. Out of that number, 55 collided with the bridge. (Tweet 59) Other boats met their demise near or at the bridge. One which was the Grey Eagle, the fastest boat on the upper Mississippi River, ran into a pier of the Rock Island Bridge and was destroyed on May 9, 1861. In 1865, because of damage to the bridge caused by traffic, ice flows, and wind, the bridge was reinforced with heavier timbers. In the spring of 1868, ice moved a pier and the wind blew the swing span into the river. The government proposed the bridge be moved to its present site. (Slattery 62-68)

Major G. K. Warren of the St. Paul Office of Engineers was placed in a supervisory position overseeing the construction of the new Rock Island bridge in 1869 when the government decided to place the construction job in the hands of the Corps of Engineers rather than Department of Ordnance. The replacement bridge had been designed by Brevet Brigadier General T. J. Rodman, Rock Island Arsenal commandant. Rodman’s design called for “a drawspan with two clear openings, each 160 feet wide, for steamboats, and a span for rafts next to the draw 250 feet wide.” (Tweet 108). Rodman’s plan also called for two levels, the bottom level for railroad and the top level for wagon traffic. (Tweet 108-109)

Major Warren did not agree with Rodman’s design. One of Warren’s beliefs was that railroad bridges should be designed with the well being of steamboats in mind. A report he made, and published in 1878, on bridge building on western waters emphasized designing with steamboats in mind. Seeing that Rodman did not have that design element, Warren redesigned Rodman’s plans. The drawspan was redesigned and relocated next to the island shore. Warren include two spans for rafts to allow for differing river conditions. Then, so sparks, smoke and noise would not frighten horses, Warren designed the bridge with the railroad on the upper level and the wagonway on the lower level. Warren’s drawspan was 366 feet long and operated on a pivot. That pivot is still in operation today, though the rest of the bridge has been redesigned. Because of funding problems, Warren designed the bridge as a single track operation although the piers were designed and built for double track. Congress felt the cost of the bridge should be shouldered by the railroad as well as the government, with the government’s share not to exceed $1,000,000.00 dollars. The 1,546 foot long bridge was completed under Colonel John N. Macomb and opened to traffic in November of 1872. The total construction cost $999,261.00. (Tweet 109-110)

By 1888, with a mule-drawn streetcar mode of public transportation, and heavier railroad cars and engines, along with the need for a double track for the railroad, the bridge was quickly becoming outdated. In March 1895, Congress authorized construction to replace the 1872 bridge. The new construction would be on the same site as the 1872 bridge utilizing that bridge’s piers and include a double track for the railroad. Construction began in November of 1895. So not to interrupt rail traffic, construction was done section by section. The construction proceeded quickly until February of 1896 when an ice jam caused major damage to the swingspan. Later, that summer, high water in the Mississippi River slowed down the project, also. The bridge finally opened on December 1, 1896.

Except for the limestone piers being covered with a layer of concrete in the 1920’s, the bridge has remained essentially the same. Joint ownership was held by the Rock Island Railroad and the government for 84 years. In 1980, the Rock Island Lines went out of business and the ownership of the bridge and all its features have been deferred to the government. (The Target 7)

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last updated
13 April 2000