Thanks to Block Portrait Studios, Lindsay Bjerke with Norton Realty, and Ohana Home & Design for their support.
On Nov. 8, 1926, the Fort Snelling-Mendota Bridge opened for the first time with a celebration that drew 15,000 cars, the governor, and a telegram from the president.
Historic: The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It’s notable for being the longest continous, concrete arch bridge in the world when it was built in 1926.
Facts: The bridge is 4,119 feet long and 60 feet wide. There are 13 rib-arch main spans of 304 feet each that rise 120 feet above the Minnesota River. The Minnesota Department of Transportation estimates the bridge averages just under 40,000 vehicles per day.
Construction: Designed by Walter H. Wheeler and C.A.P. Turner, the original construction took two and a half years with an average of 200 workers.
- It required 80,000 cubic yards of concrete, eight carloads of bolts, 1,200 tons of steel, and 400 tons of I beams.
- It cost $1,870,000 to build in the 1920s.
- The Mendota Bridge was rehabbed in 1992 with a rebuilt and widened roadway.
Opening: The opening celebration included two caravans of an estimated 15,000 cars that met in the middle. Then Governor Theodore Christianson cut the golden ropes and formally opened the bridge. President Calvin Coolidge sent a telegram on the occasion.
Dedication: The bridge was dedicated to the Gopher Gunners, the Minnesota National Guard Soldiers of the 1-151st Field Artillery Regiment who lost their lives in France during World War I. The Gopher Gunners and the Montevideo-based 1-151st live on in the Minnesota National Guard.
- “We are humbled to live in the shadow of giants who traveled far from home to fight for what they believed in so long ago,” said Army Col. Ryan Kelly, commander of the 34th Division Artillery. “This bridge having been dedicated to them shortly after the war was, and continues to be, a great honor to their service and sacrifices.”
Commemoration: On Monday, Nov. 9, the Minnesota National Guard, Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the Minnesota Historical Society will host a commemoration for the 100th anniversary of the Fort Snelling-Mendota Bridge at the historic Fort Snelling Visitors’ Center.
- “This is a great thing,” said Army Lt. Col. Chaz Ochsendorf, officer in charge of the Arden Hills based 34th Division Artillery. “So many people travel around the Twin Cities Metro on this bridge, but few know of its origin, or that it has served our community as long as it has.”
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