In 1856 a float bridge was built across the channel of the Fox, connecting the Island and the mainland. Unfortunately, citizens who crossed the span were often sprayed with water on account of its peculiar construction. As a consequence it became necessary to replace the pontoon affair with a wooden drawbridge in 1860. The latter soon settled into the water,
however, and in 1886 the city bought a swing bridge from a Milwaukee company for the enormous sum of $7,000. When the rest of the span partially collapsed a few years later, Menasha purchased a riveted iron bridge that cost $14,500, thus completing the Mill Street bridge which endured until 1951, a remarkable length of time considering that it had been planned with light, horse-drawn vehicles in mind. On Saturday, August 25, 1951, the new Racine Street lift bridge was dedicated in memory of Curtis Reed, and the old Mill Street swing bridge was demolished shortly afterward. Built at a cost of $585,000, the modern structure with its automatic warning lights and power driven lifts is a far cry from the first crude bridge that the early settlers threw across the treacherous stream.
These are great pictures. In the late 1950s or early 1960s, there was some kind of bridge structure integrated into (or next to) the dam that spanned the canal from right behind the Banta Ahnaip facility to the Menasha Wooden Ware island. I presume this was a remnant of the old Mill Street Bridge. The span from the MWW island to Mill Street by the old library was long gone by that time.
ReplyDeleteThere was a fence or cable that supposedly prevented you from getting on the (unstable) structure from the Banta parking lot. Of course, plenty of people managed to get around the barrier and get onto the bridge. I remember some people fishing off it. Apparently, so long as you didn’t cause trouble out there, nobody really much cared. Eventually, they removed this structure, but I don’t know when that was.
Upon reflection, the bridge structure remaining until about 1960 or so was of the steel truss variety. Its obvious age and dilapidated condition makes me think that it was a remnant of the original Mill Street Bridge. It connected to the former Banta facility parking lot and was in very close proximity to the Menasha Dam gates. It might not have spanned the entire expanse of the Fox River to the island that formerly was occupied by the Menasha Wooden Ware facility.
ReplyDeleteI was eight when the Racine Street bridge opened. I was 'a-scared' to cross it because it seemed to be so high above the water, and you could see the water through the grate on the lift portion of the bridge. I remember a teenage sister of a friend dived from the bridge and was arrested. I recall that some residents continued to refer to it as the 'new bridge' well into the 1970s. A police officer affectionately nicknamed Puttyhead requested that a sign be posted on the bridge: No Fishing On Bridge.
ReplyDeleteI used to walk the bridge from Banta to Wooden Ware Island to fish on the island. When was that remaining bridge behind the dam removed?????
ReplyDeleteHey Master of D: That's a good story about the girl diving from the Racine Street Bridge. I'd be a little worried about somebody doing that because nautical charts indicate that the water beneath the bridge is only about 6 feet deep. Also, I'd be concerned about her getting caught up in the current and being swept over the dam. However, if I were the County Attorney, I'd laugh, explain this to the girl, and then ask/tell the girl not to do this again for her own safety. I think the police and the legal system have much bigger fish to fry than worrying about a triviality like this.
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