The Ties That Bind

The Ties That Bind. Alpena’s Second Avenue Bridge. From the time of Alpena's inception it was divided by the Thunder Bay River, although most of the community was centered on the south side. A wooden scow served as a ferry, connecting Second Avenue on the south side with Dock Street on the north; it was pulled back and forth across the river with a rope. In the spring of 1864 the community provided $1,000 for construction of a bridge. The simple, fixed wooden span was built by Obed Smith. It served its purpose, but the bridge did not last; it fell into ruin in five or six years, and the inefficient old scow ferry was reactivated. , A second bridge was constructed by Samuel Boggs of Alpena in 1872-73. This was a wooden swing bridge that could be opened to allow ships upstream of Second Avenue. It meant that sawmills and commercial docks could be constructed at upriver locations, and several large mills were constructed during the mid 1870s as a result. The wooden swing bridge was replaced by a sturdier steel structure in 1886, built by the Smith Bridge Company of Ohio. , The current Second Avenue drawbridge was authorized in August, 1938 and construction began the following spring. The bridge opened to pedestrian traffic on December 1, 1939 and to vehicular traffic five days later. With a horizontal clearance of 72 feet, it permitted easy access for all but the largest Great Lakes freighters of the period.