9/14/2008:
What is over the River Kwai, falling down in London, and golden in San Francisco? Bridges.
In 1922, Bismarck’s Liberty Memorial Bridge was a new way to cross the Missouri. Instead of crossing by boat or train, or in winter, on ice, cars could now cross the river freely.
On this day the Bismarck Tribune boasted a front page aerial photo of the three truss steel structure as one of the first transcontinental car routes. Before 1922, travelers went great distances north or south of Bismarck to cross the Missouri.
Dedicated to the veteran’s of World War I on September 18th, the bridge has served the community for 86 years and will be demolished in the fall 2008. In comparison to its newly completed replacement, the engineering of the early twentieth-century structure stands antiquated, but with a grace that is from another era.
Source: Bismarck Tribune, September 14th 1922