The Stone Arch Bridge is a former railroad bridge crossing the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

Saint Anthony Falls Saint Anthony Falls, or the Falls of Saint Anthony ( dak, italics=no, Owámniyomni, ) located at the northeastern edge of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the only natural major waterfall on the Mississippi River. Throughout the mid-to-late 1 ...

in downtown

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

. It is the only arched bridge made of stone on the entire Mississippi River. It is the second oldest bridge on the river next to

Eads Bridge The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the cities of St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois. It is located on the St. Louis riverfront between Laclede's Landing, to the north, and ...

. The bridge was built to connect the railway system to the new Union Depot, which at that time was planned to be built between Hennepin Avenue and Nicollet Avenue. The bridge was completed in 1883, costing $650,000 at the time ($ today). 117 Portland Avenue is the general address of the historic complex. Located between the 3rd Avenue Bridge and the

I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge The I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge crosses the Mississippi River one-half mile (875 m) downstream from the Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, Minnesota in the United States, U.S., carrying north–south traffic on Interstate 35W (Minnesota) ...

, the Stone Arch Bridge was built in 1883 by railroad tycoon James J. Hill for his Great Northern Railway, and accessed the former passenger station located about a mile to the west, on the west bank of the river. For a time, the bridge was dubbed "Hill's Folly" until the value of Hill's new bridge as a passenger rail link became evident. The structure is now used as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1971 as a part of the

Historic District, (District #71000438). The bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1974.

History

In 1880, Minneapolis was a bustling city with major commerce mostly located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, while smaller, up-and-coming businesses were on the east. With the merging of the Village of St. Anthony on the east side, Minneapolis continuously grew in population, and the Hennepin Avenue suspension bridge served as the sole thoroughfare for commuters and pedestrians. At that time, the Hennepin Avenue bridge was overused and in desperate need of upkeep. The city's network of railroads, which was crucial for urbanization, was also located on the east side of the river. With the rapid increase in commercialization, Minneapolis businessmen sought a plan to accommodate the heavy flow of traffic, and immediately considered the railroad mogul James J. Hill for the task. The idea was to build a railroad depot, similar to the St. Paul Union Depot, along the intersections of Hennepin Avenue and Nicollet Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, which would also connect to the Manitoba Road tracks, eventually developing into the Great Northern Railway. The initial planning was conducted during a meeting held near the end of 1881. The project would include building a terminal in downtown Minneapolis and connecting the rails to the Manitoba Railway, the execution for which was accomplished by the Minneapolis Union Railway company, a team that was built for the sole purpose of overseeing the project. The stockholders met for the first time immediately the following year and Col. Charles C. Smith was selected as the head engineer. The bridge has been altered somewhat from its original appearance. When the Upper Lock and Dam were built at Saint Anthony Falls, two of the arches were replaced with a moveable truss so barges could pass through the lock. Later, in 1965, flood waters undermined three of the piers and caused the bridge to sag fourteen inches. The bridge was repaired by strengthening the piers and reinforcing underneath two of the arches. When it was in rail service, the bridge carried trains of many railroads to and from the

Minneapolis Great Northern Depot The Minneapolis Great Northern Depot, also known as Great Northern Station, was a passenger railroad station which served Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. It was built in 1913 and demolished in 1978. It was located on Hennepin Avenue next to the Henne ...

, including the Great Northern Railway's ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great Northe ...

''. The bridge ceased to be used as a railroad bridge in 1978, and after a period of disuse, was repaired and adapted in the early 1990s to its present use. The bike and walking trails across the bridge are integrated into the city's park and trail system, and form part of the St Anthony Falls Heritage Trail, which includes interpretive plaques describing the history of the area. The most recent renovations—including indirect lighting—were completed in late 2005. The lighting was paid for by private donations. During the summer months, the Stone Arch Bridge is a focus of numerous festivals in the area of St. Anthony Main and Historic Main Street. The Stone Arch Festival of the Arts occurs

Father's Day Father's Day is a holiday of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Catholic countries of Europe, it has been celebrated on 19 March as Saint Joseph's Day since the Middle Ages. In the Unite ...

weekend and features many local artists. Fireworks displays on the

Fourth of July Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...

and during the Minneapolis Aquatennial in late July also bring crowds; fireworks are launched from nearby Hennepin Island. The bridge offers views of the Minneapolis skyline, Pillsbury "A" Mill, the

Mill City Museum Mill City Museum is a Minnesota Historical Society museum in Minneapolis. It opened in 2003 built in the ruins of the Washburn "A" Mill next to Mill Ruins Park on the banks of the Mississippi River. The museum focuses on the founding and grow ...

, and many other places in the district, and is near both the restaurants of Main St SE and the

Guthrie Theater The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The concept of the theater was born in 1959 in a series of discussions between Sir Tyrone Gut ...

Timeline

The Minnesota Historical Society and the Great Northern Railway provided the following important historical timeline: 1881 - James J. Hill commissioned the Stone Arch Bridge project 1882 - The initial stockholders meeting was held and Col. Charles C. Smith was assigned as the construction's head engineer 1883 - After 22 months of intensive work, the Stone Arch Bridge was completed 1885 - The Union Depot at the heart of Minneapolis was completed and substantially increased the passenger volume 1907-1911 - Renovations were done to improve the bridge's drainage system and strengthen its structural support in order to transport heavier loads 1925 - Another renovation conducted to increase the width to allow bigger trains that would house more passengers 1961- 1963 - The lock and dam was built at St. Anthony falls which required arch number 13 and 14 to be replaced with a 200-foot Warren truss and allow barges to pass 1965 - The bridge underwent renovation when the Mississippi River flooded, causing the seventh pier to sink about 14 inches 1971 - The bridge became part of the National Register of Historic Places 1978 - The last passenger train crossed the Stone Arch Bridge 1989 - The bridge was bought by the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority 1992 - The ownership was transferred to Minnesota Department of Transportation 1994 - The bridge was converted into a biking/walking path by the Minneapolis Park Board

Design and construction

The Stone Arch Bridge, commissioned by James J Hill and designed by Charles C Smith, was built between 1882 and 1883. Hill originally intended to build an iron bridge spanning the Mississippi at Nicollet Island, but Smith discovered that pursuing that design would be detrimental to St Anthony Falls’ eroding sandstone. Smith's design was pioneering and the signature arches were designed to account for the falls and the surrounding topography. The stone used to make the bridge was locally sourced, including granite from Sauk Rapids for the piers and magnesium limestone from Mankato and Iowa for the upper portion. In the 130 years of its existence the bridge has undergone a number of upgrades and repairs. In 1925 the width of the bridge was increased to allow for larger railcars. Then in 1994 the bridge was converted to a pedestrian walkway.

Heritage trail plaque

A plaque near the bridge explains that the bridge was built for the ''Manitoba Line'' ( St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway), which would be used to bring wheat from the Red River valley and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

to the Minneapolis mills. It remains as a monument to James J. Hill, his vision, and is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

References

* Olsen, Byron D. (1998). ''Great Northern Railway 1945-1970 Photo Archive Volume 2''. *

Image gallery: the Stone Arch Bridge

Image:Minneapolis_and_St_Anthony.gif, Minneapolis and St. Anthony Village before Stone Arch Bridge Image:SAB-under_construction.jpg, Under construction in 1883 Image:Stone Arch Bridge under construction.jpg, Stone Arch Bridge During Construction Image:Stone bridge over the Mississippi, Minneapolis, Minn. c1905.jpg, Stone arch bridge c1905 Image:stonearchtruss.jpg, In 1963 two of the arches were replaced with a moveable truss so barges could pass through the new lock. Image:Bridge below St Anthony Falls.jpg, Below St. Anthony Falls (before 1892) Image:Minneapolis-MN-stone-arch-bridge.jpg, The Stone Arch Bridge at dusk Image:Downtown Minneapolis at night.JPG, View of downtown Minneapolis from Stone Arch Bridge Image:Saint Anthony Falls aerial.jpg, Aerial view of the Stone Arch Bridge below one of the dams that replaced the Saint Anthony Falls Image:Archesreflection.jpg, The Stone Arch Bridge from below Image:Minneapolis Old Stone Arch Bridge Curve.jpg, Perhaps the most striking feature of the bridge is its curvature Image:MNSegways.jpg,

Segway The Segway is a two-wheeled, self-balancing personal transporter invented by Dean Kamen and brought to market in 2001 as the Segway HT, subsequently as the Segway PT, and manufactured by Segway Inc. ''HT'' is an initialism for "human transp ...

tours across the bridge provide easy access Image:2008-0705-MPLStour-StAnthonyFalls-PAN.jpg, High-res panoramic photo from the new Water Power Park and the lower portion of Saint Anthony Falls Image:MillsDistrict-MPLS-1895.jpg, Mills District lithograph showing the bridge Image:Stone arch bridge pano.jpg, Panoramic photo from the ferry

External links

Stone Arch Bridge
National Park Service *
Stone Arch Festival of the ArtsMinneapolis-riverfront.com
The city's official promotional site for the riverfront district.
Interactive 360 Degree Virtual Tour featuring the Stone Arch BridgeVIDEO: Hill's Folly: James J Hill and the Stone Arch Bridge
* {{authority control Bridges completed in 1883 Bridges in Minneapolis Railroad bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Bridges over the Mississippi River Cyclist bridges in the United States Former railway bridges in the United States Great Northern Railway (U.S.) bridges Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks Mississippi Gorge Mississippi National River and Recreation Area National Register of Historic Places in Minneapolis Pedestrian bridges in Minnesota Railroad bridges in Minnesota Viaducts in the United States Historic district contributing properties in Minnesota Stone arch bridges in the United States 1883 establishments in Minnesota Shared-use paths in Minneapolis