Stone Arch Bridge
Historic site · Minneapolis, Minnesota
A stone arch bridge across the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls, with 21 stone arch spans plus one steel-deck truss span, 2,100 feet long. It is the only arched bridge made of stone on the entire Mississippi River. It was converted to a pedestrian and bicycle pathway in 1994, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and given National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark designation in 1974. It hosts events including the Stone Arch Festival of the Arts on Father's Day weekend and Fourth of July fireworks.
History
The railroad tycoon James J. Hill commissioned the bridge in 1881 for his Great Northern Railway, and the engineer Col. Charles C. Smith designed it to avoid damaging the sandstone at Saint Anthony Falls. Construction took 22 months and completed in 1883 at a cost of about $650,000. It was initially nicknamed "Hill's Folly".
Visit
Crosses the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls, downtown Minneapolis, MN
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