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Route 66 Points of Interest in Missouri
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Eads Bridge - St. Louis, Missouri
by Carolyn Hasenfratz
Designed by James B. Eads and completed after seven years of construction in 1874. Before he was hired for the bridge project, Eads was known for pioneering the use of diving bells for use in salvaging steamboat wrecks and constructing iron-clad warships for the Union Army in the Civil War. To accommodate river traffic, the spans had to be wide and high, necessitating radical innovations in design and construction for the time. 150,000 people attended the dedication ceremony on July 4, 1874 during which General William Tecumseh Sherman drove the last spike. It was the world's largest arch bridge at the time it was completed, the first major bridge over the Mississippi River and the first of significant size to use steel. In 1896, it survived a direct hit from a very destructive tornado, the costliest and third deadliest tornado in U.S. history. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1964, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Currently carries auto, Metrolink, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
More information is available at Historic Bridges of the United States.
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Postcard image.
Postcard image.
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Sources:
Coyle, Elinor Martineau (1966). Saint Louis: Portrait of a River City. Saint Louis, Missouri (USA): The Folkstone Press.
Stumm, Robert (2000). A Postcard Journey Back to Old St. Louis and the 1904 World's Fair. Springfield, IL (USA): Octavo Press. ISBN 0-87243-249-1.
"Visitors Guide to the
Eads Bridge". Visitors Guide to the Middle Mississippi River Valley. greatriverroad.com. 2010-01-20. http://www.greatriverroad.com/.
Return to Route 66 Points of Interest in Missouri
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