The Northern Pacific Railroad platted the townsite of Glendive in 1882 in Montana’s arid badlands, and because it was the first point where the railroad met the Yellowstone River, it became an ideal supply and distribution center that depended on ranchers and farmers across the river for economic support. After more than a decade of debate, the county erected Glendive’s first bridge in the mid-1890s, a four-span structure with a swing span because the Yellowstone was still considered navigable. The bridge gave stockmen and farmers direct access to the railroad and made stage travel to points northwest much more reliable. In 1899, a flood and ice jam washed out the bridge. By then the Army Corps of Engineers had determined that the Yellowstone was no longer navigable, and the bridge was rebuilt with one original span and three new ones. That structure served until improved technology made it obsolete. The present bridge, built from 1924 to 1926 with federal aid under the Montana State Highway Commission, has six riveted Warren through trusses, distinguished by the W-shaped pattern of their diagonal members and trusswork above the roadway. At 1,352 feet long, Bell Street Bridge is one of the longest bridges of its kind in Montana and an important engineering achievement tied to the area’s commercial development.