Turkey River Bowstring Arch Bridge

Location: Turkey River on Little Church Road in Sec. 34 Washington Twp. Bridge is located 1.5 miles east of CSAH W-14 and 3.5 miles SSE of Ft. Atkinson.

Description: 9-panel bowstring through arch bridge with lattice portal and strut bracings. Bridge is welded together by the joints located on the upper chord at each vertical post.

Dimension: 177 ft. long (main span 160 ft.), 16 ft. wide. Vertical clearance:

Built: 1873 by the Wrought Iron and Bridge Company (WIBCo), Canton, OH.

Commentary:

Although we have not visited the bridge yet (we were unable to do so on our last visit in 2005 for time reasons), the bridge ranks high on our list of structures to address, for it is the next structure in line to be replaced in the near future. The replacement is scheduled for the fiscal year 2009, according to the county engineer. What makes the Turkey River Bridge a unique structure has something to do with the history of bowstring arch bridges.

It all started in the 1870s, when the US economy was reeling from the after-effects of the Civil War, the Reconstruction Period, and the Great Panic of 1873, which drove livestock and crop prices to all-time lows. Farmers were suffering from the after-effects of the locus invasion, which occurred in the Midwest beginning in 1873, wreaking havoc and driving families away. However, while many families fled to places where they could find jobs, those who stayed behind were able to keep their heads above water through working in various construction jobs, which included building bridges. According to Michael Finn, author of the book on bowstring arch bridges in Iowa, the state had one of the worst infrastructures in the country, due to the numerous streams that needed to be crossed and roads that were sometimes impassable with horse and buggy. Counties were faced with budget shortfalls to bridge these streams, and sometimes, the responsibility of building smaller bridges went to the local towns. But nevertheless, the construction of bridges during this timespan served as a trump card for those who survived the locust invasion but refused to emigrate to bigger cities with other families.

As history recalls, the first structures were built of wood, which was abundant on one hand, but a nuisance in terms of maintaining the bridges on the other hand, for they were prone to fires, extreme weather conditions, deterioration, and in worst-case scenarios, disintegration through ice jams during the spring thaws. Henceforth, the state turned to iron as a source for bridge construction, although it was expensive to order, transport, and assemble on site. Several bridge companies located east of the state sent agents to Iowa to establish sales offices there, and construction of the first iron bridges, consisting mainly of bowstring arch bridges, began.

Hundreds of bowstring arch bridges sprouted up in various areas in Iowa, built by the likes of Zenas King (of King Bridge and Iron Co.), Edwin Farnsworth (of Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Works, and David Hammond (of WIBCo) during the 1870s and 80s, each signified by different means of constructing and welding the structures together. But it was David Hammond, who made the most significant contribution to the construction of bowstring arch bridges in Winneshiek County.

According to IaDOT, 33 iron bridges were constructed in Winneshiek Co. in the 1870s and 80s, many of which were bowstring arch bridges. This puts the county near the top of the list for the largets number of iron and bowstring arch bridges built in the country. Although unclear how many bowstring arch bridges were built in the county, it is clear that many of them were constructed by WIBCo. Today, only four of them remain in existence, three of them being WIBCo bridges. The Turkey River Bridge is one of the structures that was built by this company.

There are many unique characteristics that make the Turkey River Bridge a very valuable bridge worth saving. First of all, it is the oldest surviving bowstring arch bridge in the county built by WIBCo and the second oldest in the entire county (the Eureka Bridge at Castalia is two years older), and is one of the oldest bridges still standing in Iowa to this day. Furthermore, it is one of three bowstring arch bridges still serving public roads at its original location in Iowa, which will remain the case for another two years. Third and most important is the bridge's length. The bridge is not only the second longest single span in the county (at 158'), but also the third longest in the nation; fourth longest in North America. The Freeport Bridge at Trout Run Park in Decorah (at 160'), the Kern /Yaeger Bridge in Mankato, MN (at 190'- the longest in the USA), and the Blackfriars Road Bridge in London, Ontario, Canada (at 228') are longer than this bridge. A bonus is the bridge's unique truss design, which is very impressive and worth visiting, as long as the bridge is still up.

There are many ways to get to Rome regarding restoring the structure and giving it new life. As mentioned in the last article on the Chimney Rock Bridge, the bridge would be a prime candidate to be displayed in a historic bridge park, joining its counterpart, the Freeport Bridge, as well as other bowstring arch bridges, if the county is willing to join hands and decide to partake in this project (we personally are in favor of this option, and lots of people in the architectural history field would welcome this option as well). However, given its location along the Turkey River and its boating access, the bridge could also be reincorporated either over the river or next to the parking lot, and serve as a picnic area for those who want a break and need to spend time in nature, while learning about history. Assuming the structure is still in good condition, the options of using it for a bike trail, incorporating it into a natural refuge, or buying it to be used as a private driveway, are also open. Subtracting the six bowstring arch bridges built in 1945-6 in Crawford County, 10 of the remaining 14 bowstring arch bridges remaining in Iowa were either given away to private owners or reincorporated into a recreational facility for people to enjoy. This includes reincorporating them on pedestrians trails and golf courses, using them for picnic areas, and even one (the McDowell Bridge in Poweshiek Co.) is now used as a hiking trail in a wildlife refuge. The Freeport and Eureaka Bridges found new homes in local parks and both serve as picnic areas. As for the Turkey River Bridge, there are many ways of finding a new role without having to demolish the structure. This was a lesson that was learned when the Lower Plymouth Rock Bridge, another bowstring arch bridge located near Kendallville was demolished in 1987. This incident spurred a successful effort of saving the Freeport and Eureka Bridges. One can only hope that the success will rub off onto the Turkey River Bridge, for it would be a shame to let history go to waste. After all, there are people who want to know more about such bridges as this one.

Jason and Birgit Smith

Jena, Germany