1894
Williams Street Bridge
Romantic Victorian Bridge Removed in 2009
A Springtime 1980s View of the Williams Street Bridge
PHOTO
BY KENNON BAIRD
Built
by the King Bridge Co., Cleveland, Ohio
|
The following
is excerpted from a comprehensive report written by Jon Axline
for the Williams Street Bridge nomination to the National
Register of Historic Places:
"The
Williams Street Bridge is an excellent example of a single-span
pin-connected Pratt pony truss bridge. The bridge was built
in 1894-1895 shortly after the opening of the nearby Broadwater
Hotel and Natatorium resort and about the time the U.S. Army
began construction of Fort Harrison about one mile north of
the bridge. The bridge is located within a residential subdivision
that was established in 1889 in conjunction with the resort.
"The Williams Street Bridge provided access to a portion
of the Broadwater property, the residential subdivision, and
the fort. It also facilitated access from the Helena Street
Railway trolley to the Kessler Brewery and the Central Park.
It was also constructed when Lewis and Clark County was improving
its infrastructure system during the depths of the Panic of
1893.
"The bridge is also significant as the oldest pin-connected
Pratt pony truss bridge remaining in Montana."
After
it is dismantled in the summer of 2009, the bridge will be
stored on Lewis & Clark County property in the Helena
Valley.
|
Former
Location of the Williams Street Bridge
| Read
historian Jon Axline's excellent 2005 Historic American Engineering
Record paper about the Williams Street Bridge and the surrounding
area... |
MSWORD
FILE
COURTESY OF JON AXLINE
The Site Before
the Bridge Was Built, About 1892
A small bridge
of some sort spanning Ten Mile Creek can be seen.
Young
ladies at the Bridge, circa 1917
COURTESY OF SCOTT NELSON
| Looking
east, we can see in the distance the Kessler Brewing Company
on the left, and Kessler (Kenwood) School on the right. |
Young
Ladies at the Bridge, Early 1940s
FROM
THE COLLECTION OF MAXINE GILMOUR, COURTESY OF RICHARD SMITH
| Maxine Porter Gilmour and Frances "Frankie" Spaulding Finnegan at the
southwest corner of the Williams Street bridge. From the Maxine Gilmour Collection, courtesy of Richard Smith. |
The Williams
Street Bridge, late 1960s
PHOTO
BY KENNON BAIRD
|
If you
look closely, you can see a boy hanging by his hands from
the eyebars beneath the bridge. Your editor, who grew up near
this bridge, recalls engaging in this sport of crossing the
creek hand-over-hand via the eyebars -- sometimes with wet
results.
Partially
visible are two of the four decorative newel post uprights
that once adorned the bridge. They were removed by vandals
or scavengers decades ago. Has anyone seen them? let me know.
|
Ten Mile Creek
and the Williams St. Bridge, 1970
PHOTO
BY KENNON BAIRD
Under the Williams
St. Bridge, 1980s
PHOTO
BY KENNON BAIRD
Ten Mile Creek
in flood at the Williams St. Bridge, 1981. Person unidentified
COURTESY
OF SCOTT NELSON - THE
BRIDGEWORKS CONSERVANCY
The
Williams Street Bridge in Art
"Tenmile
Romance - The Williams Street Bridge" • by Kathryn
Fehlig
COURTESY
OF KATHRYN FEHLIG
| The
Williams Street Bridge readily lends itself to artistic interpretation.
This pastel by noted regional artist and graphic designer Kathryn
Fehlig captures a glowing impression of the romantic Victorian
bridge's final days. This work is available
at the Upper Missouri Artists Gallery, 7 North Main St., Helena,
MT ~ 406-457-8240 |
2004
Views of the Williams Street Bridge
Photos by Kristi Hager • Library
of Congress
East
Side from Ten Mile Creek
Northern
Approach
East
Walkway
West
Side
Decorative
Motif
Stonework,
South End
1946
Repairs
The
Last Day ~ August 23 2009
Two Views of the Bridge's Last Day of Service
Courtesy of Kathryn Fehlig
Williams
Street Bridge Removal in Progress ~ August 30, 2009
Courtesy of Kathryn Fehlig
Williams
Street Bridge Removal in Progress ~ September 3, 2009
Courtesy of Scott Nelson
| The granite
blocks upon which the bridge rested were given to landowners
on either side of the bridge: the southern blocks to Tim Kuney,
the northern blocks to William Whyte, Jr. |
Williams
Street Bridge Removal in Progress ~ September 6, 2009
Courtesy of Kathryn Fehlig
Williams
Street Bridge on the Move
Friday, September 11, 2009
PHOTO
COURTESY OF THE INDEPENDENT RECORD
| Tamietti
House Movers and Construction of Whitehall moved the bridge
to Fort Harrison. The 38-foot-wide, 100-foot-long and 13-foot-six-inch-tall
bridge was moved south on Williams Street to Euclid Avenue;
east on Euclid to Joslyn Street; north on Joslyn Street to Country
Club Road West; Country Club Road to Williams Street; north
on Williams Street to Barrett Road; and west on Barrett Road
to Fort Harrison, where it is now used in training. |
LOCATED SOUTH OF BARRETT ROAD
The
New Bridge, September 2011
PHOTO
BY KENNON BAIRD
Comparison Photos, 1980s and 2011
A section of the original railing was preserved
in situ, and incorporated into the new bridge
