McGilvray Road Bridge No. 2, Van Loon Wildlife Area, La Crosse, La Crosse County, WI

See HAER WI-22 for additional information.

Significance: In 1897, Charles M. Horton of Minnesota received a patent for an improvement on trusses and bridges. According to Horton, riveted and bolted connections perforated the metal, needlessly weakening the joints. Instead, he claimed, one could strengthen a bridge by substituting alternative devices, such as hook-clips, for the rivets and bolts. The La Crosse Bridge and Steel Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin, obtained the rights to manufacture Horton's bridge design, when the firm incorporated in 1900. Between 1905 and 1908, the company erected five, possibly six, patent bowstring bridges along the McGilvray Road.

Survey number: HAER WI-22-A

Building/structure dates: 1908 Initial Construction

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 80000146

pedestrian bridges la crosse mcgilvray bridge mcgilvray road bridge loon wildlife van loon wildlife area crosse la crosse county wisconsin road bridge bowstring trusses transportation steel truss bridges concrete decking historic american engineering record charles m horton lacrosse bridge and steel company martin stupich photo ultra high resolution high resolution manufacturing plants united states history library of congress national register of historic places

1900

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

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