Bridges

In their early years, bridges provided essential, though often unsteady, links between southern and northern Fergus Falls. The first bridges were made of logs, such as the 1871 Cascade Street bridge. A log pier filled with rock sat in the middle of the river and served as an anchor, and log stringers connected that pier with the river's banks. Their reliability was suspect, as a sign warned drivers that they risked a $5 fine if they drove their horse teams across at a trot instead of a walk. Log bridges were replaced with steel trestle bridges, several of which were unintentionally destroyed. In 1907, the Mill Street Bridge went down with a violent crash and was replaced with the concrete bridge that remains today. The devastating 1919 Cyclone eliminated the Union Avenue and Court Street trestle bridges, and both were replaced with concrete bridges by 1920.

Fergus Falls, Minnesota · United States