Floyd Mill Bridge

Luke is correct about the locations I was referring to. Maybe they were fords in 1875 and the Floyd bridge site was a bridge. That might explain their unusual look on the map.

This 1913 map shows no crossing of Packard Avenue, but does show the bridge at Floyd and one in the vicinity of the mill.

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/41744/Floyd+Township/...

The 218 bridge at Floyd must have been the arch. Most bridges in the area were trusses, I presumed that one was too. Maybe because I favor truss bridges. It also makes sense, in that I said I had no specific memory of crossing that bridge, probably because it had no overhead structure, and I never saw the substructure.

The river seems much larger now than what it appears to be in the arch bridge picture. Maybe the picture was taken in time of low water.

Luke, thanks for clarifying. 1875 is early but not unreasonable for the design, the patent could have been pending by then, considering it issued in 1876.

Regards,

Art S.

I've circled the spots Don is referring to. The map is quirky in the sense that it doesn't seem to use traditional map legend markings for bridges.

A book on the history of Floyd describes a combination wood/iron truss being built there in 1875, replacing a series of wooden stringer structures that never lasted.

OK, I'm confused. I'm not local so that may be part of it but I'm not sure I understand where Don is referring to on the 1875 map as I don't see a bridge shown on Packard Ave. or near the mill. Nor would I expect to as it is probable that the bridge was made in 1876 or later.

Regards,

Art S.

Historic aerial imagery does not show a truss at Floyd: http://ortho.gis.iastate.edu/client.cgi?zoom=2&x0=521566&y0=...

The Report of the State Highway Commission For Year Ending December 1, 1922 describes the design

https://books.google.com/books?id=bL81AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA19&dq=fl...

Cool.

I included a screen cap of the relevent part of the map from this site:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~22...

The asterisk denotes a mill.

Also interesting is that the bridge in 1875 must have crossed the Cedar directly north of today's Packard Avenue at the east edge of Floyd.

I believe (from driving this route often) that the previous 218 bridge was located just east of the present bridge. I was 16 in 1979, and probably rode across the previous bridge many times, but I really don't remember it.

http://bridgehunter.com/ia/floyd/bh67763/

I'm surprised it's listing shows an arch bridge, I expected a through truss.

The body of water as well as the bridge in the photo looks much smaller than I would think appropriate for the Cedar at Floyd.

Don, I'd completely forgotten about that map you'd found, and thought that I had put the pin at the wrong place.

I'll fix that.

Don,

I just added pictures; this page was created by Luke years ago, so it should be the same page.

Regards,

Art S.

Hmmm...

I believe a bridge and mill once existed at 43.116082, -92.708969

Luke and I discussed it at the time, and set the pin there, but I don't find that page existing any longer....

That location is about 25 miles from me right now.