39adamstrand:Construction of Keokuk’s First Bridge was completed on 11 April 1871. After the end of
39adamstrand:Construction of Keokuk’s First Bridge was completed on 11 April 1871. After the end of the Civil War in 1865, the businessmen of both Keokuk, IA and Hamilton, IL believed that railroad traffic through the area would benefit both cities. On 19 January 1869, The Keokuk - Hamilton Mississippi Bridge Company entered into contracts with the 4 railroad companies (Indiana Central Company, the Peoria Company, the Des Moines Company, and the Toledo, Wabash & Western Railway Company) who agreed to construct the first combination roadway and railway bridge across the Mississippi River. The construction contract was awarded to the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh, which was one of Andrew Carnegie’s first business ventures, at a cost of $850,000 (about $16 million in today’s money). Carnegie invested heavily in stock of the Keokuk-Hamilton Mississippi Bridge Company & became its president. Steel from Carnegie’s steel mills was used in its construction The total length of the bridge was 3800 feet and accommodated railroad cars, horse and wagon teams, and foot passengers. A locomotive named the “Iowa” was the first to cross the Keokuk - Hamilton Bridge on 19 April 1871, and the bridge was opened to the public on 14 June 1871. -- source link
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