Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

In 1839. Calvin C. Reed was contracted by a United
States government agent to build a bridge across the
Wapsipinicon at Anamosa. It was erected during July
and August of that year. The bridge was located
between the present Riverside cemetery and the fiat on
the opposite side of the ‘Wapsi’. just at the bend of the
stream. Reed received 82900 for the job and materials.
According to Edmund Booth. editor of the Anamosa
Eureka. Congress. the winter before. had appropriated
$20,000. "ostensibly and in terms". to lay out a
military Road from the fort at Prairie Du Chien to Fort
Leavenworth. both posts being. at that time. occupied
by government troups as a defense against Indian
attacks. However. Booth believed. as did others of that
day. the real object of the Iowa Delegate was a road
from Dubuque to Iowa City — hence the name. The
Military Road.
The bridge built by Calvin Reed was not high enough
to withstand the floods that would occur. He built it just
over the top of the flowing river during the normal
summer stage. A square “crib of logs" was sunk in the
middle of the river and filled with stone: forming the
center pier. The bridge worked fine for the settlers for
two winters but the second spring the rise of the
swollen rivers and streams was enough to send it all
downstream. For many years the center piece
remained in the river. The pioneers were back fording
the river at that place on the Military Road for two
years.
In 1844 the Congress of the U.S. again appropriated
money to repair,the roads and bridges and, to see that it
was canied out properly. sent one Joshua Barney of the
United States Topographical Corp of Engineers to
personally oversee the projects. He was an intelligent
fellow and very conscientious about his job. When he
Bridges over Wapsie
A story of “ups and downs”
by Bertha Finn
believed the road should be moved. due to low
banks on the previous site. and after careful
investigation of the topography of the area. he wrote to
the Bureau in Washington requesting pennission to
relocate the bridge downstream. This would cause the
road to be moved also. He was told by the Bureau to
build where in his best judgment he thought it should
be.
Upon receiving the go ahead. he hired crews of men
to construct a new road leading from the downstream
bridge site and up the south hill for a mile or so. where
it was reconnected to the Military Road. On November
19. 1845. for the sum of one dollar. Gideon Ford and
Hannah Ford conveyed a tract of their land over to the
territory of the United States to be used as a road to the
river where the bridge would be built. This indenture
was recorded by Edmund Booth. who was then county
recorder. on the 6th day of February 1846. The road
which leaves Anamosa heading towards Fairviw was to
be moved from side to side several times over the next
one hundred years. but it basically remained in the
same area.
The second bridge was erected at the site of the
present iron bridge by the Iowa Electric plant. as were
all of the rest of the wooden and iron bridges.
A Mr. Huggins of Galena. Illinois took the contract for
bridging the Wapsi here in 1845. but having other
bridges to build. he sub-let his contract to George
Walworth at $1000. Walworth was then part-owner oi
the saw mill on the Buffalo. The two parties. Huggins
and Walworth. bet a hat on whether the bridge would
be completed in a set time. It was.
This second wooden bridge was used until 1853.
when time and decay caused it to be taken down and
replaced by a third wooden bridge. As the territory
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(Submitted by Bettie and John Miller)