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| | Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Eagle River in Keweenaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes) |
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Lake Shore Drive Bridge / Eagle River
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By Christopher Light, circa July 2005 | |
| | | 1. Marker, Lake Shore Drive Bridge Face | | |
Inscription. Lake Shore Drive Bridge. This bridge, completed in 1915, was one of two bridges erected simultaneously by the Michigan State Highway Department across the Eagle River. The second was located in nearby Phoenix. Prior to 1915 a Pratt through truss bridge crossed the 53-foot gorge here. It deteriorated and was replaced with this structure. The highway department designed the bridge, which was constructed by the Wisconsin Bridge & Iron Company of Milwaukee. The Smith-Byers-Sparks Company of Houghton provided the concrete abutments for this steel riveted Warren deck truss bridge, which is 139 feet long. The main span measures 105 feet long and 17 feet wide. In 1990 this bridge was converted to pedestrian use when the adjacent timber bridge opened.
Eagle River. In 1843 the Lake Superior Copper Company purchased several land leases for mining. Two years later the Cliff Mine, alleged to be “the first great copper mine in the Western Hemisphere,” was opened by the Pittsburgh & Boston Company. The mines attracted large numbers of Germans, Cornishmen and Irishmen and gave rise to other industries. On August 29, 1846, the Lake Superior News and Miners’ Journal boasted that Eagle River had “the appearance of a thriving village.” In 1850, Prussian immigrant Frank Knivel opened the Knivel Brewery, and | | | | 
By Christopher Light, circa July 2005 | |
| | | 2. Looking across the bridge towards the marker | | |
in 1862 the Eagle River Fuse Company was established southeast of here on the river. The company manufactured twenty-five thousand feet of fuse per day for use in the mines. In 1861, Keweenaw County was set off from Houghton County and Eagle River became the county seat.
Erected 1991.
Location. 47° 24.759′ N, 88° 17.798′ W. Marker is in Eagle River, Michigan, in Keweenaw County. Marker is at the intersection of Michigan Route 26 and 4th Street on State Route 26. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mohawk MI 49950, United States of America.
Also see . . . Eagle River. (Submitted on May 4, 2007.)
Additional comments.
1. Lake Shore Drive Bridge/Eagle River
The marker indicates that this bridge, the "Lake Shore Drive Bridge", built 1915, was constructed simultaneously with the 'other' old bridge in Eagle River, what is known as the "Main Street Bridge" and which has been closed since circa 1999.
My impression is that it is unlikely that these two bridges were, in fact, built "simultaneously".
There is a picture [Image MS042--26-999-B-5B] in the Reeder Collection of the MTU Copper Country Archives which clearly shows the "Main Street" bridge constructed and open for traffic on August 08, 1909. 1909 seems, also, to be the date of construction of this "other" bridge according to an analysis and records compiled Spring, 2002, by MTU Professor Bogue Sandberg's Civil Engineering Senior Design Group studying possible preservation of the "Main Street" bridge.
Paul LaVanway
Wausau, Wisconsin & Copper Harbor, Michigan
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By Christopher Light | |
| | | 3. Bridge Over the Eagle River | | |
— Submitted July 18, 2007, by Paul LaVanway of Wausau, Wisconsin. |
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By Christopher Light, circa aug 2006 | |
| | | 4. Eagle River Falls | | In late summer the river's volume decreases to a trickle. The falls is viewed from the historic bridge. | | |
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By Christopher Light, Aug 2006 | |
| | | 5. Eagle River (downstream) | | Eagle River flows through a narrow canyon to Lake Superior. It passes through the town of Eagle River. | | |
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By Christopher Light, circa Aug 2006 | |
| | | 6. Oldest Bridge in Eagle River | | Town consists of a few homes and one block of stores. Here is the original bridge across Eagle River. It has been closed for years. | | |
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Credits. This page originally submitted on May 4, 2007, by Christopher Light of Valparaiso, Indiana. This page has been viewed 1,551 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. Submitted on May 4, 2007, by Christopher Light of Valparaiso, Indiana. 4, 5, 6. Submitted on May 24, 2007, by Christopher Light of Valparaiso, Indiana. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. The “Eagle River” face of the marker •
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