A river crossing at Valley City evolved from Morrison's Ford, located 100 yards upstream, to the town's first wooden vehicle bridge built in 1879, the same year a newspaper reported county commissioners had ordered no swimming in sight of the new bridge after women complained of seeing nude bodies while crossing. After 20 years of service, the wooden bridge was judged unsafe in 1899 and replaced with a steel bridge. That steel structure was later replaced by the original Rainbow Bridge, built in 1925-26 and chosen for its strength and beauty. In 2004, deterioration of the deck and below-standard width led to replacement of the signature bridge, and the community chose another Marsh arch bridge despite the complexity and cost. The new design followed the original 1925 concept on a larger scale with changes to width, span, length, railing height, and hanger design. North of the site, a cut in the riverbank marks the former Northern Pacific railroad bridge that gave the town its first name, Second Crossing of the Sheyenne; the railroad abandoned it, and it was removed in 1983.