Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
DUBUQUE WAGON BRIDGE
DUBUQUE WAGON BRIDGE. Also called the High Level Wagon Bridge or the "High Bridge" because it was constructed high enough to permit steamboats with tall smokestacks to pass underneath, the bridge was the first highway link between Iowa and Illinois. Construction of the RAILROAD BRIDGE increased interest in Dubuque for a passenger bridge which would span the MISSISSIPPI RIVER opening business with Illinois and Wisconsin.
The Dubuque High Bridge Company organized by Bernard J. O'Neill, president; John MacDonald, secretary; and A. Kammann, treasurer was formed in 1886. Bids for the construction of a bridge were advertised. Originally a pontoon bridge was suggested.
A fixed bridge, built in place of a PONTOON BRIDGE, was the concept of Mr. C. L. Strobel, a consulting engineer from Chicago, who had been hired to design a pontoon bridge between Dubuque and East Dubuque. Strobel suggested a high bridge would eliminate the need to build a draw through which boats could pass. H. E. Horton, of the H. B. Horton Bridge Company (later the Chicago Bridge and Iron Works) hired to build the pontoon bridge, immediately urged the acceptance of the new plans saying that such a bridge could be constructed for $120,000. This compared with the cost of $80,000 for a pontoon bridge.
The Dubuque City Council appropriated $25,000 towards the cost of constructing the approach road. Funds to cover the total cost of $127,200 were raised through the sale of stock and bonds. The board of directors of the Dubuque High Bridge Company approved the new plans on August 9, 1886.
Work on the bridge began on September 7, 1886. Almost immediately there was a rumor that the federal government would stop construction because the company had failed to apply to Congress for permission to build the bridge. Further investigation revealed that the government would not be able to stop construction because the bridge did not hinder navigation. Further, government engineers had approved of the plans submitted by the bridge company.
The dedication of the completed bridge took place on November 29, 1887. To commemorate the event, the bridge company had thousands of bronze medals cast. Every person in the crowd that day received one the medals shown in the pictures above. The first traveler using the structure was Mrs. George Gantenbein who crossed the bridge driving a team of horses with produce for the Central Market.
The bridge replaced several FERRYBOATS that began service across the MISSISSIPPI RIVER in 1827, six years before the permanent settlement of Dubuque as a community. The bridge remained privately owned despite occasional interest in either the city or state to make it a free bridge. The bridge was taken down shortly after the completion of the JULIEN DUBUQUE BRIDGE. (Photo Courtesy: http://www.dubuquepostcards.com)
