Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

oute never materialized.
For the next ten years. the plight of the motor cars on
the bridge presented a problem. due to its narrow.
congested route of travel.
Work was begun. in 1929. in conjunction with the
then U.S. Highway 161 project. on a new bridge some
200 yards above. and by-passing the old iron bridge.
When completed. the bridge was called one of the most
beautiful in eastern Iowa.
In building the highway through the southwest part
of the city. it entailed a vast amount of filling in. as the
site was originally the backwaters of the river. An earth
and rock dike was constructed from behind the old ice
house to the Riverside cemetery to hold back flood
waters prior to the building of the highway and bridge.
The bridge was erected first. and then the highway
leading south from Elm Street. This roadwork took
several years as the build-up of the virgin road needed
to settle.
Even after the completion of the "new bridge". bridge
work needed to be done on the deck of the old iron
bridge below it. This bridge was still a favorite of local
people and tourists. It was kept up for a number of
years. However. in 1955. or thereabouts. it was closed
to vehicle traffic.
In 1975. the year of the nation's bicentennial. those
most interested in the old iron bridge decided that this
would be a good oportunity to bring public attention to
its dilapidated state. A group of citizens. aided in large
part by the local Jaycees. raised funds. donated time
and labor. and the bridge was restored for use by
pedestrians and bicycle traffic. Spearheading the
project were John Dirks. Richard Tebbe. Larry
Farrington. Mike Brewer. and Mildred Brown.
Several times during the town's history, the bridges
across Fawn Creek on Main. First and Second streets
were washed out by high waters and floods. The creek
running under ground across east Main street caused
flooding problems on several occasions as well.
Inasmuch as this writer spent so much time and space
on the Wapsi bridges. time does not permit a more
thorough accounting of the other bridges. in and
around the city.
The "new" bridge. (Submitted by Mrs. Lawrence
Folkers)
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