The US 41–Fanny Hooe Creek Bridge is a highway bridge located on
US Highway 41 (US 41) over the Fanny Hooe Creek about one mile east of
Copper Harbor
Copper Harbor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Grant Township. The population of the CDP was 136 as of the 2020 census.
The community ...
, adjacent to
Fort Wilkins State Park
Fort Wilkins Historic State Park is a historical park operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at Copper Harbor, Michigan. The park preserves the restored 1844 army military outpost, Fort Wilkins, which was placed on the Nation ...
,
in
Grant Township, Michigan. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
History
In 1913, the state of Michigan passed the State Trunk Line Act, which in part provided for the construction of a state route through Keweenaw, Houghton, Ontonagon and Gogebic counties.
Portions of this 1913 route were later included into US 41 and
US 45. In the 1920s, parts of the trunkline were improved by regrading and the building of new bridges.
One such bridge was constructed by the Keweenaw County Road Commission, just east of
Copper Harbor
Copper Harbor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Grant Township. The population of the CDP was 136 as of the 2020 census.
The community ...
near the northern terminus of the trunkline. (The Keweenaw County Road Commission also built the
M-26–Silver River Culvert
The M-26–Silver River Culvert is a highway bridge located on M-26 over the Silver River in Eagle Harbor Township, Michigan. The Keweenaw County Road Commission built the bridge in 1930; they also built the US 41–Fanny Hooe Creek Bridge and t ...
and the
M-26–Cedar Creek Culvert
The M-26–Cedar Creek Culvert is a short highway bridge located on M-26 over Cedar Creek in Eagle Harbor Township, Michigan. The Keweenaw County Road Commission built the bridge in 1930; they also built the M-26–Silver River Culvert and th ...
around the same time.) The original cost of the bridge was $8,132.02.
Description
The bridge spanning the Fanny Hooe Creek is a small concrete arch bridge (spanning 25 feet) with an elliptically shaped continuous arch ring and filled spandrels.
It sits on a concrete foundation. The endwalls and parapet walls of the bridge have decoratively placed fieldstone work with
grapevine mortar joint
In masonry, mortar joints are the spaces between bricks, concrete blocks, or glass blocks, that are filled with mortar or grout. If the surface of the masonry remains unplastered, the joints contribute significantly to the appearance of the maso ...
s.
Each parapet has four paneled concrete bulkheads which merge into
pilasters along the sidewalls below grade level. The bridge is particularly significant because of its decorative stonework (unusual for Michigan bridges) and the degree of craftsmanship in its construction.
George Tramp, an engineer with the Michigan State Highway Department in the 1920s, commented that, "after one sees the masonry work on this bridge they will agree that the art work of the stone mason has not been entirely lost."
See also
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List of bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
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National Register of Historic Places listings in Keweenaw County, Michigan
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:US 41-Fanny Hooe Creek Bridge
Buildings and structures in Keweenaw County, Michigan
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
Bridges completed in 1928
Transportation in Keweenaw County, Michigan
Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
U.S. Route 41
National Register of Historic Places in Keweenaw County, Michigan
Arch bridges in the United States
Concrete bridges in the United States