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Rush Street Swing Bridge (Old)

Cook County, Illinois

Photos 

Rush Street

Period illustration

License: Released into public domain

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BH Photo #261440

Map 

Description 

First all-iron bridge in Chicago; was built for $48,000 with the cost shared between the city and the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad. Destroyed in November 1863 when a drove of cattle crushed one side of the bridge.

Facts 

Overview
Lost swing bridge over Chicago River on Rush Street
Location
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
Status
Replaced by a new bridge
History
Built 1856 as the first all-iron bridge in Chicago, destroyed 1863
Builder
- Harper & Tweedale
Design
Through truss
Approximate latitude, longitude
+41.88873, -87.62533   (decimal degrees)
41°53'19" N, 87°37'31" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
16/448121/4637611 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Chicago Loop
Inventory number
BH 57409 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (7,443)
Built 1856 (33)
Built during 1850s (402)
Chicago, Illinois (324)
Cook County, Illinois (449)
Destroyed by collision (89)
Harper & Tweedale (1)
Illinois (4,601)
 Lost (24,199)
Lost 1863 (5)
Lost during 1860s (51)
Movable (2,928)
Navigable waterway (2,136)
Swing (1,422)
Through truss (14,891)
Truss (32,512)

Update Log 

  • January 3, 2019: New photo from Melissa Brand-Welch
  • August 22, 2013: New photo from Douglas Butler
  • July 30, 2013: Added by Frank Hicks

Related Bridges 

Sources 

  • Frank Hicks
  • Douglas Butler
  • Melissa Brand-Welch - melissabrandwelch [at] msn [dot] com

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