Snowden Bridge
Encyclopedia
Snowden Bridge is a high-clearance, vertical-lift railroad bridge, built in 1913, that spans the Missouri River
between Roosevelt
and Richland
Counties in Montana, USA, between Bainville
and Fairview
, Montana, and near Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
and the ghost town of Mondak
near Montana's eastern border with North Dakota
. The designer of the bridge, John Alexander Low Waddell
(1854–1938), based the Snowden Bridge on the South Halsted Street Bridge (1893) in Chicago
. When completed, Snowden Bridge was the longest (1,159 feet) vertical-lift bridge in the world. Its cost was US$465,367, equivalent to at least $10,000,000 at the beginning of the 21st century.
The War Department required the movable span on the grounds that large steamboats might venture up the Missouri during the month or so that the river was navigable that far north. A kerosene engine in the lift house could raise it 43 feet in about thirty minutes. In theory, the movable span might also be lifted by a hand-turned capstan. The span was last raised in 1935 and the lift machinery removed in 1943.
In 1925 a plank roadbed was built for one-way vehicular and foot traffic, while the bridge continued to be used by the Great Northern Railroad. Although a long bridge with one-way traffic and shared with railroad trains should have been spectacularly hazardous, a 1981 study found that it was "so dangerous that it [was] safe" because drivers were extraordinarily cautious when crossing it.
In 1977, when the Burlington Northern moved to exclude motor vehicles from the bridge, funds for a modern road bridge were appropriated and the new MonDak Bridge was completed nearby in North Dakota.
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
between Roosevelt
Roosevelt County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site * Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,620 people, 3,581 households, and 2,614 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile...
and Richland
Richland County, Montana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,667 people, 3,878 households, and 2,652 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile . There were 4,557 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
Counties in Montana, USA, between Bainville
Bainville, Montana
As of the census of 2000, there were 153 people, 72 households, and 43 families residing in the town. The population density was 147.9 people per square mile . There were 83 housing units at an average density of 80.2 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 89.54% White, 5.23% Native...
and Fairview
Fairview, Montana
As of the census of 2000, there were 709 people, 310 households, and 184 families residing in the town. The population density was 736.4 people per square mile . There were 390 housing units at an average density of 405.1 per square mile . The racial makeup of the town was 96.47% White, 0.85%...
, Montana, and near Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site is the site of a partially reconstructed trading post on the Missouri River and the North Dakota/Montana border twenty-five miles from Williston. It is one of the earliest declared National Historic Landmarks of the United States...
and the ghost town of Mondak
Mondak, Montana
Mondak, Montana is a ghost town in Roosevelt County, which flourished circa 1903-1919, in large measure by selling alcohol to residents of North Dakota, then a dry state....
near Montana's eastern border with North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. The designer of the bridge, John Alexander Low Waddell
John Alexander Low Waddell
John Alexander Low Waddell was an American civil engineer and prolific bridge designer, with more than a thousand structures to his credit in the United States, Canada, as well as Mexico, Russia, China, Japan, and New Zealand...
(1854–1938), based the Snowden Bridge on the South Halsted Street Bridge (1893) in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. When completed, Snowden Bridge was the longest (1,159 feet) vertical-lift bridge in the world. Its cost was US$465,367, equivalent to at least $10,000,000 at the beginning of the 21st century.
The War Department required the movable span on the grounds that large steamboats might venture up the Missouri during the month or so that the river was navigable that far north. A kerosene engine in the lift house could raise it 43 feet in about thirty minutes. In theory, the movable span might also be lifted by a hand-turned capstan. The span was last raised in 1935 and the lift machinery removed in 1943.
In 1925 a plank roadbed was built for one-way vehicular and foot traffic, while the bridge continued to be used by the Great Northern Railroad. Although a long bridge with one-way traffic and shared with railroad trains should have been spectacularly hazardous, a 1981 study found that it was "so dangerous that it [was] safe" because drivers were extraordinarily cautious when crossing it.
In 1977, when the Burlington Northern moved to exclude motor vehicles from the bridge, funds for a modern road bridge were appropriated and the new MonDak Bridge was completed nearby in North Dakota.