McCormick Park & Orange Street Bridge

McCormick Park and Orange Street Bridge. . McCormick Park was given to the City of Missoula by the McCormick family, heirs to the estate of W.J. McCormick, one of Missoula’s founders. The pond in McCormick Park is known as “Silver’s Pond” after the family that also donated land that makes up the Park. , The first Orange Street Bridge, built by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) in 1936-1937, was originally called Harris Bridge as today’s Orange Street was then known as Harris Street. Upon completion, it was christened the “Parkway Bridge” following a naming contest won by Edna Tingley of Missoula. , That first bridge was a truss deck bridge, one of eight similar bridges built in Montana at the time. , The Orange Street Bridge connects Downtown Missoula with the Historic Southside Neighborhood. The blocks on either side of Orange Street were completely developed by World War I. Except for the cars and mature trees, a walk through these pleasant neighborhoods feels much like it did nearly a century ago. , The Clark Fork River has enjoyed several names over the years, and is shown on early maps as “Hell Gate River” and “Missoula River.”