The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-08-25

|DKIUul ID h DlHUII,
GIVEN GRAND OPENING
The new bridge at Red Jacket, the
best by far that has yet been con-
structed in this county, il not in
| Southwestern Minnesota, was given
an appropriate sendoff yesterday by
several hundred people, gathered in
a beautiful piece of woodland near
one end of it, The residents OF the
city and country cOmmingled and ex-
pressed their mutual congratulations
on the construction of so enduring q
piece of work that will open a new
and more direct route between q
large and important section of the
county and the county seat.
Probably 500 to 700 people were
gathered beneath the shade of the
beautiful hard naples and butternuts
in. Frank Parsons pasture, where
| a dinner ''such as mother used to
prepare" was served by the ladies
of the surrounding country. 1t was
a repast that will long be remember
| ed by those from the city so fOrtu-
nate as to be permitted to partake of
J it, among whom were members OF
the Commercial club and others who
had worked toward making this long
wanted bridge realization.
| Congratulated the Comm issioners.
! All of the members of the county
board were present except Commits
sioner Ole X. Olson, who was detain-
ed at home by his threshing opera
tons. The commissioners present
received congratulations on their
! foresight in having so substantial a
structure, with it's graceful arches
and picturesque balustrades, was adj
mired by all.
The bridge opens a new road di-
rect to Good Thunder and all that
territory, saving fully male over
any other route. The Strand ra-
vine road, that connects at the south
end of the bridge, has only seven
per cent grade. People driving this
way take the left hand road after
crossing the bridge. The bridge also
makes a new and more direct road
to the Rapidan dam. The best way
to go is to take the left hand road,
but the old one UP the hill is the
nearest. The bridge gives an outlet
south that has never been enjoyed
before. The old road leads over the
Kerns bridge, which is an old and
weak structure and cannot be safely
traversed with heavy loads, and has
several bad hills.
The new bridge was built by the
J. B. Marsh Engineering company OF
Des Moines, Iowa, and the contract
price was $12,650, and $3.50 was add
ed for the ornamental rail, making
$4,000 in all. The grading of the
approaches cost about $3.50, and this
was done by c. S. Erickson, who
made a fine approach thirty feet
wide.
Description of Bridge.
The bridge is 276 feet long, sixteen
feet wide in the clear, and has three
arches, each II feet long in the clear,
and the bottom of the arches
stand eighteen feet above low
water mark and five or six feet
above the highest point that the river
has ever been known to have reach
ed, within the memory of the oldest
inhabitants. The bridge looks low in
comparison with the immensely high
railway bridge beside it, but the lat
ter had to be high in order to con-
form with the grade of the road. If
by itself, the wagon bridge would
look as high as any other bridge.
! In the construction of the bridge,
about 1,40O yards of concrete were
used, and ]. B. Marsh, who was
present yesterday at the picnic, stat
ed to The Free Press that the bridge
would hold UP 200 pounds to the
square foot, or double row of
itwenty-ton threshing engines extend
ing across the bridge, without strain
in it. Yet one farmer, before as
suming the risk of driving across
the bridge yesterday, got out and
walked ahead and tested the struc-
ture with his weight to see if it was
safe.
Mr.. Marsh states that Portland
cement and fine quality of gravel
secured in the vicinity were used in
making the concrete, and he says
that he never saw truer concrete.
4 The county cOntemplates making
ing to the bridge, after it leaves the
Indian lake road, and these are need
ed This work will no doubt be
done next year.
A bridge has been projected at the
} Red Jacket from time to time in the
past, but for one reason or another
it's building was put off. Now the
people are rewarded for their pa
thence by having the best structure
of it's kind.
French Explorers Camped There.
1t was on a mound not far FROM
this bridge that the early French eA-
plorers made their headquarters for
a time. During the grasshopper
times, in the late seventies, the
county appropriated 100000 for build.
ing five bridges, and one of them
was to be located at Red Jacket, but
it was never built The river has
been forded there and crossed on
the ice whenever possible, but this
has been impossible during large
parts of ordinary seasons.
, The ladies who prepared the
spread for the Mankato' people made
a large cake for the members OF
the Mankato Commercial club, and
4