Rating:
40 votes

Fort Leavenworth Bridge

Leavenworth County, Kansas, and Platte County, Missouri

Photos 

The Great Kansas and Missouri Bridge

From the 15 March 1873 issue of Scientific American.

Scan taken by Mark Frazier in February 2012

Enlarge

BH Photo #225541

Map 

Description 

Built 1872 as a railroad and highway bridge; converted to highway only between 1893-1909; pedestrian only 1909-1913. Fire destroyed floor in 1904, another fire damaged bridge in 1913. It was seized by the War Department in 1917 for the (WWI) war effort and made a vehicular bridge. Carried vehicles until April 2, 1955. Replaced by the Leavenworth Centennial Bridge. (summarized from: Leavenworth Times, "One by One the Landmarks Go," 16 December 1962, p. 6)

Facts 

Overview
Lost Post through truss bridge over Missouri River
Location
Leavenworth, Leavenworth County, Kansas, and Platte County, Missouri
Status
Removed
History
Built 1871; Burned and abandoned 1913 , Converted to road 1917
Builder
- American Bridge Works of Chicago, Illinois
Railroad
- Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (CRIP (1866-1920); RI (1920-1975) ROCK (1975-1980))
Design
Triple span Post through truss
Also called
Kansas & Missouri Iron Bridge
RI - Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Great Kansas & Missouri Bridge
Approximate latitude, longitude
+39.34589, -94.91053   (decimal degrees)
39°20'45" N, 94°54'38" W   (degrees°minutes'seconds")
Approximate UTM coordinates
15/335365/4356901 (zone/easting/northing)
Quadrangle map:
Leavenworth
Inventory number
BH 48873 (Bridgehunter.com ID)

Categories 

19th Century (6,786)
American Bridge Works (28)
Built 1871 (107)
Built during 1870s (977)
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (987)
Kansas (2,932)
Leavenworth County, Kansas (34)
Leavenworth, Kansas (13)
Lost (21,203)
Lost 1962 (54)
Lost during 1960s (573)
 Missouri (6,094)
Missouri River (115)
Platte County, Missouri (60)
Post truss (40)
Rail-to-road (312)
Railroad (14,223)
State line crossing (776)
Through truss (13,803)
Truss (30,880)
Wrought Iron (379)

Update Log 

  • June 6, 2019: New photos from Joe Sonderman
  • February 8, 2016: Updated by Luke: Added category "American Bridge Works"
  • March 13, 2015: New photo from Luke
  • March 12, 2015: Updated by Luke: Added info
  • February 19, 2012: New photo from Mark Frazier
  • June 7, 2011: Added by Robert Elder

Sources 

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Comments 

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 7, 2019, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Anthony - I like that explanation!

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 7, 2019, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

The Half Star Bandit was a fixture of this site during the flame wars of years ago. His main purpose was to come on here every day and start said flame wars. He spent his entire existence trolling me and almost everything I posted.

Admittedly, I did finally blow my top at him and I said/did some things that I really should not have.

Thankfully he seems to be gone.

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 6, 2019, by Tony Dillon (spansaver [at] hotmail [dot] com)

Robert, is your car Chelsea getting on here and giving half-star ratings to make up for all the dust you made her swallow and potholes she had to endure through the years?

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 6, 2019, by Luke

There's an anon who will give half star votes to bridges that are actually important ones.

They really, REALLY did not like Robert.

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 6, 2019, by Art S. (asuckewer [at] knite [dot] com)

Wow, spectacular Post truss! A shame that it almost survived until modern times.

Regards,

Art S.

PS. can someone explain the star commentary?

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 8, 2011, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Matt is correct - the Half Star Bandit is real. (S)he likes to assign 1/2 star ratings to many bridges for which I have added photographs. Many of them are very significant truss bridges, for which(S)he is the first voter. This happened with the Stillwater Lift Bridge in Minnesota/Wisconsin.

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 8, 2011, by Matt Lohry

I have to agree with Robert & Molly--I've seen more than enough ratings of 1/2 star from just one vote for bridges that obviously rate at least 4 stars, if not all five!! I think that their comments below were left when the rating was just half a star from one voter. The subsequent three were left somewhere between those comments and these. As such, I think that the "Half-star Bandit" is indeed at large.

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 7, 2011, by Bill McGann

Isn't the rating cumulative? If someone rates it 4 and someone else rates it 3 then it averages to 3 1/2? Maybe there is no "Half Star Bandit", but simply someone rating the bridge lower than the last person and dragging the rating down?

Maybe the site owner can verify this?

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 7, 2011, by Molly Hill

HSB must be some uneducated jerk living in his mamma's basement. He needs to go back to throwing ketchups in the road and watching cars run over them....

>:-(

If you can't appreciate history, stay off this site!

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 7, 2011, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Wow, the Half-Star Bandit just could not wait to slam this 1871 Triple Span Post through truss. Way to go HSB - I think you really outdid yourself this time!

Fort Leavenworth Bridge
Posted June 7, 2011, by Robert Elder (robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com)

Link to photograph:

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/37108604?source=wapi&referrer...

Link to discussion:

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/genweb/leavenwo/library/BRIDGE.htm