Bridges Archives - Page 3 of 3

Michigan’s Longest Covered Bridge

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

Michigan has a few historic wooden covered bridges but this one about twenty miles from the Indiana border is almost the length of a football field. Spaning across the St Joeseph River the Langley Bridge 282 feet long. It was built in 1887 by Pierce Bodmer of Parkville, using the best quality white pine for the frame timbers. The bridge was named after a family in the nearby town of Centreville. When the Sturgis Dam was built in 1910, the Langley Bridge had to be raised eight feet. In 1950-51 extensive repairs and replacement of parts on the bridge were done to preserve this historic bridge which is still a vital river crossing.

The bridge is a one-lane bridge and is interesting to drive through. You have to be sure a car is not entering from the other direction before you enter otherwise someone is backing up a long distance. If you are in the area be sure to take a trip across this historic bridge. It would make for an excellent drive in the Fall when the leaves are at their peak along the St Joseph River.

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The Other Big Green Bridge

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

The Cut River Bridge on US-2 passes over the Cut River which carved a gorge into the landscape over the several centries it has flowed into Lake Michigan. From the topside, it seems like most bridges. But if you stop at the rest area next to the bridge, you can walk down underneath it and see the myriad of green steel girders.

It’s near the town of Epoufette about 25 miles west of St. Ignace. Construction of the bridge began in 1941 but was halted during WWII. The 641 foot long bridge was finally compleated in 1947. Under the east end of the bridge is a wooden door in the stone foundation. A brass plate on the door reads ” T. Troll ” I am not sure if it is their office or home, but whenever I knocked they never answered.

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The Redridge Bridge

Posted on May 28, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges, Dam, upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

When I first saw it, I was not sure if it was a bridge, dam or waterfall, or a little bit of all three. On the Salmon Trout River near the town of Redridge is this massive steel structure. It has water flowing underneath and from its rusty girders, it looks as if it has been standing for a long time. It was one of only three steel dams of its type in the United States and it was constructed in 1901. The dam was built to create a reservoir for the Atlantic Stamping Mill in Redridge. The mill is gone but water still flows over the dam.

Redridge is in the Keweenaw and west of Houghton, It’s not far from the ruins in Freda, you can read about them in my post HERE

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The Bridge in Fallasburg

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges, Michigan Historical Markers .

I was hanging out with these Canadian geese admiring the Fallasburg covered bridge. It’s a true piece of Michigan history that you can experience. I wonder what it would be like to ride across it in a horse and wagon. The Historical marker next to the bridge reads:

John W. and Silas S. Fallas settled here in 1837, founded a village which soon boasted a chair factory, sawmill, and gristmill. About 1840 the first of several wooden bridges was placed across the Flat River, but all succumbed in a short time to high water and massive spring ice jams. Bridge builder Jared N. Bresee of Ada was given a contract in 1871 to build the present structure. Constructed at a cost of $1500, the bridge has lattice work trusses made of white pine timbers. As in all covered bridges, the roof and siding serve to protect the bridge timbers from rot. Repairs in 1905 and 1945 have kept the bridge safe for traffic for one hundred years

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The Other Suspension Bridge in Michigan

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges, State Parks .

When I mention suspension bridge most Michiganders think of the Mackinaw Bridge with its tall white towers and green decking stretching across from the lower to the upper peninsula. There is another suspension bridge that crosses the Rifle River on the hiking trails in the Rifle River Recreation Area near Lupton.

Millions of motorists have crossed the ” Mighty Mac” but I wonder how many hikers have crossed this secluded little wooden bridge in one of Michigan’s serene state parks. If you haven’t explored the Rifle River Recreation, you should, you will never know what you might find.

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The Big Green Bridge

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

Every time I am in Mackinaw City I have to stop and get a pic of the Mighty Mac. I must have hundreds of photos of it, but it’s really hard to capture its immense size and awe-inspiring beauty in a single photo. Here is a pic I took last fall as the sun set on a beautiful northern Michigan day. I can’t wait to get back up to the straights again, as soon as I leave I want to go back.

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Swinging in Croswell

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

On my recent adventure around the thumb a few weeks ago, I found the historic town of Croswell. I have heard of the swinging bridge, but forgot all about it until I saw the sign as I drove into town. It was built in 1905 by the Michigan Sugar Company ( yes I can relate to the smell, I grew up in Carrollton) for their workers to cross the river to get to work. The original bridge had just two cables which were used to support the planks, I can’t imagine walking across it without anything to hold onto, my clumsy self would fall in for sure. I am thinking the origins of the signs ” Be good to your Mother In Law” and “love Ye One Another” that was at the other end is an attempt to keep mischievous people from swinging the bridge. Eventually, Two more cables were added to provide a handhold.

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Houghton Hancock Lift Bridge

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

The Portage Lake Lift Bridge (officially the Houghton–Hancock Bridge) connects the cities of Hancock and Houghton, in the US state of Michigan, across Portage Lake, a portion of the waterway which cuts across the Keweenaw Peninsula with a canal linking the final several miles to Lake Superior to the northwest. US Highway 41and M-26 are both routed across the bridge.

The bridge is the world’s heaviest and widest double-decked vertical-lift bridge.More than 35,000 tons of concrete and 7,000 tons of steel went into the bridge, which replaced the narrow 54-year old swing bridge, declared a menace to navigation on the busy Keweenaw Waterway.Its center span “lifts” to provide 100 feet (30 m) of clearance for ships.

The original 1959 design by Hazelet and Erdal of Chicago of the bridge’s liftspan had roadways constructed on both levels with rails imbedded in the road surface on the lower deck. This allowed the span to be partially raised to allow small and medium boat traffic to pass underneath without disrupting vehicular traffic. From this middle position, the span would then only need to be raised for large ships or lowered to allow trains to cross. With the end of rail service in 1982, the lowest position is no longer needed to allow trains to pass so the bridge is not lowered below the middle position during the summer boating season except for periods of maintenance or repair. In the winter after the lake freezes, the bridge is placed in the lowest position to allow the lower deck to be used by snowmobile traffic

Seven Bridges Recreation Area near Kalkaska

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges, Waterfalls .

Autumn is such a magical time in Michigan, but it goes by so fast, and I never have as much time to enjoy it as I would like. I love the waterfalls in the U.P. but if you can make it up there to see them, there is place in the L.P. that few know about. Seven Bridges area between Kalkaska and Rapid City on Valley road is a beautiful place to walk around and take in the wonders of Mother Nature. It has a few small water falls some cute little foot bridges and several streams all in about an acre and it’s easy to walk around. If your a leaf peeper looking at the fall colors this is an excellent place to visit.

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