133rd Avenue Bridge

133rd Avenue Bridge. . Formerly spanning the Rabbit River in Hopkins Township, Allegan County, Michigan, this bridge is known as the 133rd Avenue Bridge. It was built in 1897 by the Michigan Bridge Company of Portland, Michigan, owned by Samuel S. Ramsey and his son. In 1993, the bridge was considered unable to support vehicular traffic and was closed while the county scheduled the bridge for replacement., The 133rd Avenue Bridge is a small bridge, only 64 feet long, and for a period of 96 years, it carried farm residents over the river on its single span. The road the bridge was located on was built between 1873 and 1895 to carry farm traffic to and from connecting roads, to the rural schools and churches, to markets in nearby small towns such as Hopkins and Hilliards and to the L.S.M.S. Railroad depot at Hopkins Station., The Rabbit River is shallow where the 133rd Avenue Bridge once crossed it, and perhaps in the early years travelers forded the river. As the demand for good roads year round increased and as heavy steam-powered equipment came into use for harvesting crops, the need for a strong bridge grew. High water in January 1897 washed out the small bridge that existed in that location. In the spring of 1897 the Hopkins Township Board contracted the Michigan Bridge Company to manufacture the 133rd Avenue Bridge for $715.00, The technical description for the 133rd Avenue Bridge is a four-panel, half-hip, pin-connected Pratt steel and wrought iron truss bridge, 64 feet long, with a 14-foot width. It was removed from Allegan County in 1998 to the Calhoun County Road Commission Bridge Restoration Shop, where it was repaired, cleaned and repainted. Once restored, the bridge was re-erected in the Calhoun County Historic Bridge Park in 1999 to serve as a pedestrian bridge. It has the honor of being the first bridge placed in the park and is expected to be good for another hundred years!