1922 Photograph before paved approach lanes installed
The North Dakota Memorial Bridge was the first automotive bridge to span the Missouri River in North Dakota. Located on a highway designated as State Route 6 in 1922 which later designated as US Highway 10, the bridge was originally dedicated to the young men and women who served in World War I. Two boulders, taken from North Dakota prairies, were placed at each end by the North Dakota Chapter of the American War Mothers which included the plaques honoring their sons and daughters.
The bridge boasts Warren-Turner design style trusses spanning 200 feet above the bottom of the lowest pier. Eight thousand rivets were driven into these trusses during their construction.
The concrete approaches, girded on either side by North Dakota made brick, lead to the bridge; the one on the Bismarck side being 400 feet long but the Mandan side extends 625 feet. The main bridge deck and original approaches are 26 feet 6 inches feet wide supplemented by pedestrial walkways 4 feet 4 inches wide.
The base of the eastern river pier is abouth 41 feet below normal water level and 101 feet below the roadway. The base of the western river pier is approximately 74 fee below water level and 134 feet below the road deck.
The open well method was used in the pier construction. Workforce peaked at 250 with crews working day and night. Twice during the preliminary work on the bridge the construction trestle was torn out, once by ice and once by an unusually high June rise in the river level. Construction was begun in 1920 and the dedication held in September 1922. This event included a three-day Mandan and Bismarck with a pageant in which 600 persons took part in the main feature.
David Carey, his wife and four children arrived here in 1879. John McGinley rowed them across the Missouri River in a skiff in the middle of a heavy wind storm and they almost lost their life during the crossing.
Mr. Carey had originally moved from Illinois to get work on construction of the Northern Pacific Railway bridge. He and his family almost lost their life during their first river crossing. He helped to build the first railroad bridge across the Missouri in North Dakota.
So when the new Memorial Bridge was completed, the 86-year-old man made it a point, despite a wait for many hours, to be the first to cross it in an automobile. He would remark, "I am thankful I lived to see this day."
The total cost of the $1,358,000 ($23.5 million 2024$) bridge was born jointly by the Federal Government, the State of North Dakota, Morton and Burleigh Counties.
Construction of a 4-lane replacement bridge was started in 2006 after the stone piers began to deteriorate as the salt compounds used to remove the ice and snow from the bridge deck corroded the grout. The new Liberty Memorial Bridge, dedicated on November 11, 2008, honors all veterans who gave their life in service to their country.
The original bridge was demolished with explosive charges and removed in pieces from the river bed. Several additional efforts to remove enough of the underwater original structure were required to adequately assure safe passage of marine traffic.
The MHSoc's museum and office is located at 3827 30th Avenue NW; Mandan, ND 58554 Contact us at info@mandanhistory.org
