Flambeau Paper Co. - Flambeau River Bridge
Photos
map 1912 Flambeau River
Map from 1912 when the bridge was new
Photo taken by Bruce Oldenberg in February 2012
BH Photo #438659
Short history of the Flambeau Paper Company bridge
Written by Bruce OldenbergNovember 2018. I don't know who started this page about the railroad bridge, but I am glad they did. The first street view shows a panoramic view of the highway 13 bridge, but the railroad bridge foundations are out of sight below the west concrete railing. The old railroad bridge stone foundations are best seen while standing on the west edge of the highway bridge, looking down in the river.
I haven't found a picture of the bridge structure, nor found anyone who remembers and could describe it. This portion of the Flambeau Paper Company railroad was in operation from 1912 to 1923 and was
then removed. I don't know if it was a wood or steel bridge. The stone abutments with straight walls and smooth tops suggest it was a through truss bridge. It was 230 feet long. There are two low concrete foundations in the river, suggesting that it had two supports there. I don't know if the height of the truss was the same all the way across. With those two supports in the river, it is possible this bridge was 3 spans. Or just one long truss with the 2 supports to be sure it didn't sag. The weight of the steam locomotive was 50 tons, and this was a standard gauge railroad.
The history project is a love of history, and I have drawn several sketches to simulate what the scenes would look like, until we find pictures.
Facts
- Overview
- Lost Pony plate girder bridge over Flambeau River on Flambeau Paper Company Railroad
- Location
- Park Falls, Price County, Wisconsin
- Status
- Removed
- History
- Built 1912; Removed and relocated 1938
- Railroad
- - Flambeau Paper Company Railroad (FPCO)
- Design
- Pony plate girder
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +45.91222, -90.44875 (decimal degrees)
45°54'44" N, 90°26'56" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/697859/5087459 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Park Falls
- Inventory number
- BH 75634 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- February 10, 2019: Updated by Luke: Noted relocation in 1938
- February 10, 2019: New photo from Bruce Oldenberg
- November 17, 2018: Essay added by Bruce Oldenberg
- February 14, 2017: New Street View added by Luke
Related Bridges
- Connor Lumber Co. - Presque Isle River Bridge (Parts reused in)
Sources
- Luke
- Tranweb - Bruce's Railroad Pictures - Image + Info
- Bruce Oldenberg
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/wi/price/bh75634/
The bridge could've come from a myriad of manufacturers, as trade magazines show that the Milwaukee Structural Steel Co. built a building, and Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. built a water tower.
American Bridge Co. is a possibility, but not a guarantee.
Additionally this lawsuit from the Michigan Department of Conservation mentions the bridge, alluding to reuse over the Prequet Isle River on a logging railroad:
https://casetext.com/case/dept-of-conservation-v-connor
https://books.google.com/books?id=-YhOAAAAMAAJ&dq=flambeau+p...