Rating:
3 votes
Kiwanis Bridge
Facts
- Overview
- Two-span through truss bridge over Rock River on Kiwians Trail
- Location
- Rock Valley, Sioux County, Iowa
- Status
- Open to pedestrians only
- History
- Built Ca. 1895, possibly as a swing span, relocated here 1911, converted to pedestrian use by the Kiwanis Club
- Railroad
- - Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (MILW)
- Design
- Pratt through truss
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 144.0 ft.
Total length: 655.0 ft.
- Also called
- Rock Valley Trail Bridge
MILW - Rock River Bridge - Approximate latitude, longitude
- +43.20659, -96.31427 (decimal degrees)
43°12'24" N, 96°18'51" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 14/718179/4787259 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Rock Valley
- Inventory number
- BH 14420 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- January 3, 2015: Updated by John Marvig: Added information
- June 27, 2013: Updated by John Marvig: Added build date
- October 26, 2012: Updated by Jason Smith: Added category "Howe lattice portal bracing"
- April 21, 2012: Updated by Luke Harden: Added categories "Rail-to-trail", "Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad", "Wooden deck"
- December 3, 2011: Updated by Frank Hicks: Added GPS coordinates
- September 26, 2005: Posted photos from Jason Smith
Sources
- Jason Smith - flensburg [dot] bridgehunter [dot] av [at] googlemail [dot] com
- Frank Hicks
- John Marvig - marvigj27 [at] gmail [dot] com
Comments
Kiwanis Bridge
I have a sneaking suspicion that this bridge, and it's cousin in Austin, Minnesota are relocated ex Swing Bridges from somewhere in the Milwaukee Road system
http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/data/Doug%20Gosha/20105131448...
Both these large, pin connected structures contain inner vertical endposts, and this one has a build date of 1912, according to the CMStP&P Historical Society, although a true 1912 structure likely would have been riveted and a more common design.
Does anyone have any opinions on this?
© Copyright 2021, Historic Bridge Foundation and contributors.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/ia/sioux/kiwanis/
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/ia/sioux/kiwanis/
I believed I may have solved the mystery of this structure. It appears that it these spans were the two end spans of the second Byron, Illinois bridge:
http://bridgehunter.com/il/ogle/bh76931/
The reasoning being that the Byron Bridge is an unusual structure, with heavily skewed trusses. According to Milwaukee Road blueprints, the Byron Bridge had end span lengths of 160 feet on the 8-panel face, but 176 feet on the 9-panel face (20 foot 6 inch panels, 16 foot 6 inch end panels). Another bridge confirmed to have been relocated from the same structure (http://bridgehunter.com/mn/blue-earth/maple-river/) was cut down when moved.
At 140 feet long and 7 panels, it appears that this bridge would have been cut down, with one panel being removed (two on the skewed face) when moved. This would also explain the unusual appearance that was interpreted as a swing bridge initially. When comparing to the Minnesota Bridge, which blueprints confirm was from Byron, this structure is virtually identical, other than the normal non-skewed ends.
Unfortunately, I have been repeatedly looking in the Milwaukee Road Archives for structural plans for this structure. Since 2014, I have found virtually nothing for this bridge, other than it was installed in 1911. The Byron Bridge was replaced in 1910. Between the matching timelines, identical structural details, photographic evidence, I believe that this is the match for this structure.
Do others agree?