Built in 1859 at a cost of $40,000, this bridge served for nearly seventy years. Before it, travelers at Carlyle crossed the Kaskaskia by ferry or on a mud bridge supported by logs. The Historic American Buildings Survey recognized the bridge's architectural significance in 1950 and recommended its preservation. In 1951 the State Legislature appropriated $20,000 for restoration work. In 1953, the bridge was named in honor of Major General William F. Dean, a Korean War hero and Carlyle native. As of 1976, it was the only suspension bridge in Illinois.