View of approach, with Thacher span in the background
The spiral approach is built to resemble the Hastings Spiral Bridge span demolished in 1951.
Photo taken by Matthew Lohry in June 2010
BH Photo #167270
I looked at the Street View of CR40 in Lac Qui Parle County where Township Road 76 used to lead to this bridge, and there is virtually no sign that a roadway ever existed--I used the clock function on Google Earth to find the bridge's location. It was removed and relocated, but was never replaced.
Whoops! Never mind-this was the Yellow Bank bridge that was brought to the Pioneer Days grounds to help re-create the Spiral Bridge. My apologies!!
I hate to say this, but to me this looks like the replica of the Hastings Spiral Bridge that is on the Pioneer Days grounds just south of Hastings. I was just there last year & this looks exactly like it.
In response to the Thacher bridge comment, a small correction to pass along to you:
There is only one Thacher bridge in Iowa, which is the Ellsworth Ranch Bridge (I photographed the bridge and is also posted on the Bridgehunter website as well)
There was also one in South Dakota in Hamlin County, which is also on this website. Both of them are closed to traffic and in place.
The one in Virginia exists but a new bridge is being built along side this one.
Costilla Crossing (the only 2-span Thacher) is now a pedestrian bridge
And there was one in Parshallburg, Michigan, which despite being rehabilitated and opened to pedestrian traffic, was destroyed by an ice jam and flooding in 2008.
In all reality, we now have five left in the country, although there was one in Floyd Co. Iowa, which was the fanciest of the Thacher truss bridges but was sadly removed over 3 decades ago.
Some interesting facts worth chewing on. ;-) Excellent photos, BTW.
JS
My family and members of our church would go to the yellow bank campground every summer for services and picnics; there was a gravel rd that led from Hwy 75 to the bridge that crossed over the Yellow Bank river. (that road was flooded when they built the dam & spillway on the Minnesota River nearby there). Have fond memories of walking on, and playing on that bridge.