gr00598.xml Transportation Department: Bridge Division: An Inventory of Its Subject Files at the Minnesota Historical Society Minnesota Historical Society
St. Paul, MN.

Government Records

Finding aid encoded by Cheri Thies, July 2012 Finding aid written in English. OVERVIEW Minnesota Historical Society Minnesota. Dept. of Transportation. Bridge Division. Subject files. 1909-2000. Materials in English. Records documenting numerous aspects of the construction and maintenance of Minnesota's bridges. 1.9 cubic feet (2 boxes and 1 partial box). See Detailed Description for shelf locations. SCOPE AND CONTENTS

The records include a log of bridge numbers 10-9889, detailing location, construction, and type; a diary of construction, upkeep, and examination, and photographs that both use numbers corresponding to those in the log; a set of blueline reports of state, county, and township bridges; and photographs of department personnel. Also files covering bridge historian Alfred St. George and engineer James Buchanan Eads, a bridge maintenance course, a photographic competition, covered and historic bridges, the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge, a Great Lakes Shipwreck Conference, and tunnels.

 CATALOG HEADINGS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics: Bridges -- Minnesota -- Photographs. Bridges -- Minnesota -- Design and construction. Bridges -- Minnesota -- Maintenance and repair. Bridges -- Inspections -- Minnesota. Covered bridges -- Minnesota. Historic bridges -- Minnesota. Shipwrecks -- Great Lakes (North America). Tunnels -- Minnesota. -- Minnesota. Persons: Eads, James Buchanan, 1820-1887. St. George, Alfred. Organizations: Minnesota. Dept. of Highways. Minnesota. Bridge Division. Places: Aerial Lift Bridge (Duluth, Minn.). Document Types: Blueprints (reprographic copies). Photographs. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Minnesota. Dept. of Transportation. Bridge Division. Subject Files. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession numbers: 979-105; 980-35; 2005-04; 2011-67

 Processing Information:

Catalog ID number: 001709830

 DETAILED DESCRIPTION 107.E.2.9B Blue lines, compiled circa 1940. 2 folders.

Report of state, county and township bridges, including bridge number, section, township, type of bridge, date built, ton rating.

Arranged alphabetically by county.

 Bridge diary, 1909-1919. 6 folders.

Handwritten diary; contains scattered entries pertaining to bridge construction, upkeep, and examination.

Organized by bridge number (Nos. 54-599; incomplete), with the numbers corresponding to those in the bridge log.

Bridge Historian, Alfred St. George, 1994. Bridge log, undated. 2 folders.

Photocopy of the original held by the Minnesota Transportation Department; documents several thousand state bridges. It lists bridge number (Nos. 10 – 9889), county number, road, section, township, range, year of construction, type of bridge, replacement information when applicable, and remarks. The remarks most often contain dimensions and the physical feature being bridged (city, river, ditch, sidewalk, railroad). The bridges documented appear to have been constructed from the 1880s through the 1970s. A list of the county codes and names is included in the first folder.

Bridge maintenance course, 1995. Bridge photograph competition, 1949-1952. Covered bridges, undated, 1963, 1987-1997. 2 folders.

Newspaper and magazine articles.

Duluth Lift Bridge and transfer car restoration, 1932, 1977, 2002. Eads, James Buchanan, circa 1960s-1990s.

Inventor, Bridge Engineer, Steam Boat Captain.

Great Lakes Shipwreck Conference, 1995-1997. Historic bridges:

Includes reports, magazine and newspaper articles and photographs.

Articles, undated, 1992-1997.

Newspaper and magazines.

Bloomington City, circa 1950s-2000.

Early history compilations.

Canal Park Marine Museum, circa 1984-1997.

Duluth, Minnesota.

Correspondence, 1997-1999. Don Beaty, West Salem, Wisconsin, 1996-1997. General, circa 1932-2004. 3 folders.

Reports, publications, lists of bridges and newspaper articles.

Natural Register of Historic Bridges, 1996. St. Croix County, Hudson, Wisconsin, circa 1990s. 107.E.2.10F Top Ten Historic Bridges in Minnesota, 1997. Zumbrota Covered Bridge, circa 1990s. Memos, survey, newspaper articles, circa 1939-1953. Minnesota bridge history book research, 1993-1996. Photographs, undated, 1909–1970s.

The folders include scattered letters, reports, statistics, and related data. The numbers used for these photographs also correspond to the bridge log. The majority of the photographs are identified; fewer are dated.

Unidentified bridges. 2 folders. Bridge railings.

Includes Bridge No. 5122.

Concrete arch bridges (non-Minnesota). County bridge, Grand Rapids vicinity. Department personnel, undated, 1914, 1950s-1970s.

Staff group photographs, individual portraits, retirement parties, most are unidentified.

Highway project on U.S. 63, East of Red Wing. F.A.P. 529-F. Bridge on Trunk Highway 71, Koochiching County. Courtland Bridge, New Ulm. Bridge No. 344. Bridge No. 412. Bridge No. 1318. Bridge No. 1594. Bridge No. 1604. Bridge No. 1845. Bridge No. 2026. Bridge No. 2276. Bridge No. 2342. Bridge No. 2847. Bridge No. 3041. Bridge No. 3094. Bridge No. 3118; unidentified bridge, near Good Thunder. Bridge No. 3262. Bridge No. 3459. Bridge No. 3555. Bridge No. 3623. Bridge No. 3626. Bridge No. 3688. Bridge No. 3770. Bridge No. 3929. Bridge No. 3969. Bridge No. 4007. Bridge No. 4047. Bridge No. 4106. Bridge No. 4187. Bridge No. 4232. Bridge No. 4551. Bridge No. 4598. Bridge No. 4612. Bridge No. 4698. Bridge No. 4728. Bridge No. 4740. Bridge No. 4926. Bridge No. 4951. Bridge No. 5074. Bridge No. 5083. Bridge No. 5156. Bridge No. 5379. Bridge No. 5441. Bridge No. 5541. Bridge No. 5600. Bridge No. 5602. Bridge No. 5950. Bridge No. 5955. Bridge No. 6259. Bridge No. 6285. Bridge Nos. 6584, 6585, St. Paul. Bridge No. 6824. Bridge No. 6919. Bridge No. 6944. Bridge No. 6969. Bridge No. 8529. Trunk Highway 94, I-35E to Rice Street, St. Paul.

Taken during construction.

Capitol Approach Area, St. Paul.

Taken during construction.

S.P. No. 6982-03, IR-35, St. Paul.

Taken prior to construction.

I-35W bridge over Lake Street, Minneapolis.

Taken during construction.

129.F.11.6F-2 Bridges, circa 1920s-1950s. 4 folders.

Counties represented are Anoka, Clay, Crow Wing, Cook, Dakota, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Le Sueur, Marshall, Ramsey, Redwood, St. Louis, Wabasha, Washington, Winona.

107.E.2.10F Publications, 1970s-1990s.

Covering railways, highways, steamboat and the Iron Range.

 Repaired bridges, 1977, 1996. Requests for county bridge status reports, 1943-1946. Tunnel history, 1996-2000.