Recent Montana Comments
Post a comment Contact webmasterEdith if you can try to post an image of the picture to the following link I've created. It is an entry for the former US 10 bridge at Fallon.
http://bridgehunter.com/mt/prairie/yellowstone-river/
As for value I have seen on an auction site what I believe is the picture you have by the Ball Bros. It went for $125.
The former bridge was a four span through truss, Camelback style. It was built by the Security Bridge Company which had their offices in Billings after starting up originally in Minnesota. Several of their spans still exist but most have long been replaced. An employee with Security Bridge Company, William P. Roscoe, supervised the construction of the former and his company later built the bridge that replaced. It opened in November 1944.
I have an old photograph of the dedication of the Yellowstone Bridge, Fallon, MT...copyrighted 1914 by Ball Bros., Havre, MT. It's dated May 20, 1914. It measures approximately 6.5 x 26.5. Any ideas on it's historical importance? I'm having it preserved and framed. Any information would be helpful. I found the photograph in an old trunk that belonged to my Mother's family...it is now in my possession. My Mother's maiden name was Oakes..her father was Charles Henry Oakes....don't know if this is pertinent, but, may help.
Respectfully,
Edith Wait
Alex,
A bunch of crooks mis-managed MWLW from the late 1950's on. Bookkeeping lies hid loses on eastern parts of the road by charging costs to the western extension. It looked like W.E. was loosing the money until they shut it down. Then it was bankruptcy for the whole railroad.
Another fine example of how Milwaukee's western extension was a well built railroad abandoned too early.
No problem, John;
It's sometimes hard to tell what's what from way up here in the satellite.
I don't see that the Indian Creek or Judith River trestles have been added yet, by the way.
I stand corrected. Serves me right for assuming that there was only one large trestle near a town I've never seen in a state I've never visited.
It appears that this bridge is long gone. I set the street view to focus on two crosses at the side of the road near the present bridge. It seems appropriate. RIP.
Hmm......
..... the Sage Creek trestle appears to be about 4 miles in a generally northerly direction up the tracks from the Indian Creek trestle, at 47.255524,-109.756765.
According to topographical maps and also Google maps, the creek crossed is actually called Indian Creek; however, two different sources on railpictures.net list the bridge as the Sage Creek Trestle. Perhaps Sage Creek is another name used locally, or maybe the maps are wrong.
I think you are referring to one of the Tongue River crossings located not far from the Ft. Keogh Bridge and sadly it was demolished last year, although I`m not at all sure when it was....
The was one of the largest and most ornate examples of its type. In a state with very few truss bridges of any kind, this is absolutely disgusting. Its not like the bridge was in the way. Montana has plenty of space.
If I recall correctly, Montana has another, smaller pin-connected PA truss, and I believe they want to bulldoze it too.
Say,
Does anybody have a little brown barf bag handy? After receiving the news via e-mail this morning, my stomach is churning from disgust! Too bad that my nomination of the bridge for the Chronicles' 2011 Bridge Pics Award did not persuade Montana to heed to the demands of saving at least ONE of the through truss spans! It's really appalling what's going on here! ;-(
Dear Mr. James McCray
I absolutely love your website, but wanted to offer one slight correction in order to give credit where credit is due. Bundy Bridge near Pompey's Pillar, MT was definitely the first Warren through truss bridge to span the Yellowstone River in Montana, however the very first Warren through truss bridge in the great State of Montana was actually constructed in 1895 across the Big Hole River near Glen in Madison County. It was 90 feet long and located on a road that once connected Dillon, a railroad station and county seat of Beaverhead County with the Ruby River valley in southwestern Montana. However, the Bundy Bridge is an exceptionally rare example of a bridge built by a private construction firm without the direct involvement of the Montana Highway Commission which, beginning around 1916 or so, began to adopt the Warren truss through bridge model as a standard for railroads. In mid-1882, the Northern Pacific Railway (one of our predecessor railways) had reached Pompey's Pillar and established a station half of a mile south of the landmark on the Crow Reservation (it was subsequently moved two miles east of Pompey's Pillar in 1905). The "new" bridge in 1915 was an important part of our early history and was the first bridge of its kind to cross the Yellowstone River in Montana, but I'm afraid we must credit the bridge in Madison County with the honor of being the first of its kind in the great State of Montana.
Keep up the great work! I shall bookmark your site with great pleasure and look forward to visiting in the future! Your photographs are quite lovely.
Warmest regards,
Angela Fares
Senior Manager, Records and Information Management
BNSF Railway
And if you are getting the Indiana guy....I am right on the way. I shall also buy a ticket cuz you gotta play to win.
On another note we have submitted a proposal on the Ash Creek Bridge in California for the disassembly plan. And working up a restoration plan for Cascade Bridge in Iowa where Section 106 kicked in. None of the engineers in Iowa think it should be restored. They did no maintenance and then can come up with reasons to tear down and build new. Irks me and should be prosecuted for negligence...
Anyway packing lightly for a fabulous trip with bridgehunters from many states.
Iowa Bridge Bitch.....is back
I could be "Indiana Bridgehunter Jones"!
Hey Mike...if you hit the big one will you swing by Indiana and pick me up too?
Sounds good to me!
These two Montana bridges, the upper chord panel points are 1/2-panel offset from the lower chord. The C&NW bridges in Iowa, like Mississippi River at Clinton, the upper and lower panel points align.
If I win the lottery first, you two gents are both invited, but we'll have to take in some of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri too.
California Craig,
I might have to go pick up one of those mega-millions tickets. If I win that jack-pot I'll pick you up in the official bridge-hunter helicopter. Maybe we can stop and get Washington K.A. too, then it's off to Beaverhead River, Montana
Keep dreaming,
Oregon Mike
OK Mr Oregon Mike, a road trip would be a blast. I would love to take a looping run up through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and then turn south, Wyoming, Colorado and then back to California picking up some Utah and Nevada along the way.
I agree with the designation of triple on this bridge and another one in the region.
So, first win the lottery to cover fuel cost... then roadtrip!
I think I see a triple as well. Nathan is right, it is very hard to tell for sure with such a fuzzy street view. Maybe California Craig and I should take a trip to Montana to confirm this along with some others in Idaho.
However, it does looks similar to the triple intersection "Iron Bridge" that I posted earlier today in Spokane, WA. It may be from the same era or even possibly the same historic railroad. Our railroad experts may be able to shed some light on this aspect.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wildliferecreation/4476043701/ - Link to Iron Bridge photo
It may be triple, the Street View honestly is too blurry for me to tell for sure.
I'm going with Triple...looks pretty definite in the view I see.
Looking at the street view in different locations makes it appear to be double, triple, and quadrangular. To me, it appears to be a triple-intersection Warren, but I could certainly be mistaken on that too. It would be nice to get photo confirmation...
Looks like a lattice truss... ie more than two intersections. I am guessing its quadruple intersection, the most common type of lattice truss. Sometimes called quadrangular.
Please review the design designation. I listed this as Double intersection Warren and I would appreciate confirmation.
I completely forgot that I had a pic of this bridge! Actually, this is a pic from one of my first bridge hunting adventures. I was taking pics of the highway bridge, but the "sister" train bridge was right next to it. Sadly, I was young and immature in those days and not have yet become a "Jedi Master" in the bridgehunting world, and so, I only took three pics of the bridge.
Unfortunate loss of what may have been the longest remaining Pratt through truss.
No kidding!
Just pick the spans up and set them on dry land!!! Of course I realize this will cut severely into someones scrap metal profits...but considering this is stated to be the last of several built in this region...come on!
Todd Baslee photo
This truly magnificent bridge is undoubtedly one of the rarest and most beautiful historic bridges in all of Montana. From its ornate cast iron portals to its impressive pin-connected Pennsylvania truss spans, this bridge is to be demolished as soon as before this winter. The bridge's substructure was severely damaged during a flood and the bridge is now significantly twisted... but still standing. They plan to spend $800,000 to reduce this treasure to scrap using cranes and barges. This is absolutely pathetic. The cranes and barges should be used to lift the bridge off of its destroyed substructure. The barren wasteland that surrounds the bridge provides more than ample room to simply set the bridge on the ground either as an exhibit, or just as storage until new homes can be found for the bridge. Be sure to view the Flickr link I provided to see the flood damage. The pony trusses are severely damaged (but we could restore them here in Michigan) while the through trusses are just twisted a bit, not as serious as it looks.
After discovering the fate of this bridge I needed to run and grab my...
This is probably the incorrect location, but I have to go on is that it's on a dirt path west of Galata, and it promptly ends shortly after this bridge.
I found this bridge that just sits on land. Any clues as to its origins?
This bridge apparently is just sitting on bank of the lake shore. Any info as to its history would be welcome.
Jim, I would start with contacting local and state preservation groups to try and drum up support. If the bridge was truly a local product, then it would be worthwhile to get some records about it's construction if they are available. And getting support from the local residents is helpful as well.
Is the bridge in imminent danger, or are you just wanting to garner support in an attempt to keep that from happening?
how do you find out how to get a bridge restored rather than torn down? who to contact.This bridge is a possible candidate as it is one of the few left that was made in Missoula Montana.
The entry was based on the news article with a bit of additional research. The photo you mention, however, is credited to Leo Majerus.
Mr. Backlin more than likely added this bridge as a result of an image from a newspaper showing flooding. The bridge appears to be an abandoned section of road, possibly on an old alignment. I believe I have the right coordinates but correct them if you must.
The article is below:
You might be able to incorporate the image taken by Paula Langhurst since this is for research use, not commercial.
Love the area of the Gallatin Gateway and hope that I can add to this by a few pictures of this historic bridge to the Big Sky Country
Yup.....that's what I would call it Craig.
I wish the Madison Railroad in Southern Indiana would do this to their deck trusses instead of demolishing them.
Interesting modification and mixture of forms. So now, what type of span is this? Pratt Thru Truss with supplemental Arch?
You will notice some changes in the recent photos I took and the Google Stree View. They've been working on this bridge adding an arch in the truss.
Sorry about the double post. I didn't realize this bridge already had a listing. I had submitted a request to merge the two listings.
Think we should delete the one i created since this one already has photos and a video.
Great Photos
Duplicate posting as Rev. JP had it listed here.
http://bridgehunter.com/mt/sanders/bh47647/
I could have sworn I had images of but ... c'est la vie.
Montana gives bridges two ratings, one based on the health of the bridge and one based on sufficiency of the bridge. Health wise this bridge outscored the rest of the bridges in the state at 96.49. But then came in at 43.2 in sufficiency just because its one lane, and has a weight limit. And now the state is wanting to bypass or replace it. I hope the community there fights to keep the bridge standing at the very least.
http://missoulian.com/news/local/article_43d9ff7c-2aa0-11e0-937e-001cc4c03286.html
This bridge is NBI listed as 1935, but I am thinking the main pin-connected thru truss span is older and was relocated here. The pony truss might be from 1935 however.
Probably a lot of "Morels" growing around there too!....... sorry, I got caught up in all the "pfun"!!
Did anyone else happen to notice that the name of the local town is Anaconda, which has a giant wetlands/lake area........sorry i work at a movie theater so found this thought entertaining.
It seems so right that this span is a "marsh arch".
Rather unique.......to say the least!
Perhaps the status of this bridge should be changed to "Open to swimmers"
Ummmmm......yeah.........
I'll let you guys try to figure this one out!
I agree with Nathan regarding the apparent non-structural railings on this bridge. I love street-view, it is so tantalizing sometimes, it often gives the hints we need to see that a journey to document a structure is worthwhile.
Hard to tell in the Street View, but the railings look fairly small and lightweight in comparison to the length of the bridge, so my vote would be that the railings are non-structural, and the bridge is a lattice railing stringer bridge, rather than a lattice girder.
From the looks of the street view, this bridge looks like it has lattice type railings. Is it a lattice type pony truss? Comments welcome.
Very unique diagonals on this bridge composed of 4 angles laced together to form a box. It appears the Toston Bridge may have them as well.
The main span of this bridge is quite massive with it's 20 foot panels. Comparing it with the regular sized Pratt spans it almost looks like a through truss with 2 pony approaches.
Hey everyone,
My apology, but this won't relate to bridges. But I wanted to share with you all a map I created of how Aulne, Kansas will look like in the future hopefully. Aulne is a very small town that is close to Marion. It has a church, an old bank that was built in 1909, and it has about eleven houses. I've been through this little town very many times in my life. Ever since I was eight years old, my mind created an imagination about Aulne becoming a bigger city. On Google Maps, I created the map of my imagination in the future. Click on this link to view my map I created:
Watched the video about the planned restoration and reuse of this beauty...... Too bad more communities can't seem to preserve their history like this!
When is bridge coming out for bids? Please forward information at your earliest convenience.
This really is an interesting bridge!
A restoration group has been trying to raise funds to restore this structure as a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. But as of Jan 2010, only one span has been restored - the bridge is NOT open to pedestrian traffic. Hoped-for stimulus funds were never received. A portion of what funding has been raised was used to install spectacular blue lights.
I lived less than 1/2 mile from the bridge from 1931 to 1936 .I was born in 1931, I remember the last time the bridge was raised. I was only 4 or 5 years old. This was in 1935 or 1936. My sister, cousin and I are the only ones still living that witnessed it being raised. I can still remember the sound of that 3 cylinder engine. My cousin and I explored the engine house a lot of times and even climbed the south tower once when we were teen agers.
This is the bridge featured in the movie Untouchables.
Taken on June 13th 2009
Very cool bridge, thanks for the pictures!
This bridge is scheduled to be replaced and relocated to East Helena Montana over Prickley Pear Creek on August 2009.
Van
Nice pictures! Will look forward to seeing more.
Hello - let me know if these work. As the sign indicates this bridge is known as the "natural pier bridge" for obvious reason as seen in photos.
I have a few more bridges to send your way today. And will be sending more in the future. Also, let me know if you like detail photos or just the whole bridge.
Thanks
Van
This bridge has been torn down and replaced with a two-lane concrete bridge.
I took more pictures of the 10th Street Bridge when I was in Great Falls last week. These pictures are taken from the north side of the bridge and one can see the rehabilition project in progress. The remodeled portion of the bridge is seen in the following photos.
Webmaster's note: The photos that were here have been incorporated into the main site.
I took two pictures of this bridge in the summer of 2005. My wife, a friend, and I was going to Billings to pick up another friend who was going to be a summer missionary in Canada. We went through Great Falls and stopped at the bridge. The bridge is in the process of being remodeled and it will soon be in operation again! Only, this time it will be a walking bridge. Anyway, the picture of the 10th Street Bridge is taken from the south side of the river. The current remodeled portion of the bridge is on the north side.
Webmaster's note: The photo that was here has been incorporated into the main site.
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