On This Date in Minnesota History: April 17

April 17, 1895 – The Hastings Spiral Bridge was completed on this date after seven months of construction. Labeled the “Only One of Its Kind in America,”¹ the bridge was “the original structure to carry U.S. 61 over the Mississippi River at Hastings,”² and built with “an interesting spiral that wound down to the Hastings (Minn.) business streets. The reason for the design was simple – it had to be high enough for steam boats to pass under it while still exiting onto Main Street.”<sup>3 

1</sup>http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=49690

²http://www.deadpioneer.com/projects/routes/US61/historicus61se/spiralbridge/spiralbridge.htm

³http://www.dakotahistory.org/county/hastings.asp

The Hastings Spiral Bridge

https://www.google.com/search?q=hastings+spiral+bridge&hl=en&rlz=1G1LENN_ENUS473&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=6WtXUIaJBYWryQH7hoDADg&ved=0CCAQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=608#hl=en&rlz=1G1LENN_ENUS473&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=public+domain+images+of+hastings+spiral+bridge&oq=public+domain+images+of+hastings+spiral+bridge&gs_l=img.12...8638.16511.0.18705.24.23.0.0.0.5.400.3580.0j9j6j1j1.17.0...0.0...1c.1.AZkSQrQwKm8&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.&fp=36b19fe436829044&biw=1366&bih=608

This marker stands where the Spiral Bridge entered Hastings on the south side of the Mississippi River. It is located in Veteran’s Memorial Levee Park.

Photos taken by Pamela J. Erickson. Released into the public domain April 17, 2014,
as long as acknowledgement included.