Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

i
..=.~..
‘PJ'P l ‘*3 fig I"
i lg’ i $
Submitted by John and Bettie Miller)
became part of the newly fonned state of Iowa in 1846.
the county and the citizens paid for this one.
In June 1862 the ire of the citizens was raised due to
the deteriorated conditions of the third bridge. and a
petition with 123 names was presented to the Jones
County Board of Supervisors. who had only the
previous year been newly formed. [Prior to that a
countyjudge was the authority over the county affairs.)
The petition was referred to the committee on
bridges. and the committee. composed of David
Graham. J.L. Brown and J.J . Dickensen. reported back
to the board that they had investigated the bridge site
and it was deemed unsafe. The committee further
recommended that it be sold; and no teams be allowed
on the bridge: and that a competent person be licensed
to establish a ferry across the river above the bridge.
H.C. Metcalf was given the license to operated a ferry
with these specifications: the ferry was to be 30 feet
long: 11 feet wide. gunwale 18 inches. The rates were
set at: two horse teams. 25 cents: one horse team. 20
cents; man and horse. 10 cents: every additional horse
5 cents: footman. 5 cents: cattle per head. 5 cents:
sheep per head. 5 cents. He was allowed 10 days time to
get it in order.
The editor of the Eureka suggested. "We hope our
merchants will club together and make some
arrangements whereby those in the habit of trading
here can cross free."
By January 2. 1863. the bridge was completed at a
cost of $1350. with one-half being paid by public
subscription and the remainder by the county. It had
been contracted by H. L. Palmer and the entire bridge
was built of pine. except the floor which was made of
oak. The old abutments were taken outand substituted
from stone which was brought from the quarries — 27
rail car loads. This was the last bridge of wooden
materials erected on the present iron bridge site.
The seven-year flood. as it was known by the local
citizens of that era. took out the bridge on the Buffalo in
July 1865. It was built just west of the old Ford Inn on
Mill and Main street. in 1858.
Meanwhile on the Wapsi. July 5. a group of citizens
secured the bridge. by means of chains. ropes. and
hemp cables. to the abutment and center pier. A dozen
or so sawed logs. were drawn by hand from the mill
yard through the swift water and placed across the top
ofthe frame-work.
In October 1865. a new bridge was built near
Fisherville on the Buffalo. It was built on piles 218 feet
long and two and one-half feet above high water level. It
cost $1.600 and was constructed by Palmer & Lamson.
contractors. ..
The fourth bridge did good service for about 10 years
before it. too. was pronounced unsafe by the committee
on bridges and was taken down. February 6. 1873. the
bridge was torn down. A new bridge was to have been
completed by February 22. by the Iron Bridge
Company of Cleveland Ohio. The cost was $5.544. In
the meantime. the Wapsi was crossed on the ice above
the dam. This was well and good until March 13 when
the ice went out. The bridge was still not up. The Ohio
Bridge Co. said they would foot the bill for the needed
ferry service; one large enough for teams and one for
foot passengers.
Come April 10. 1873. there was good news and bad
news. The bridge was up but the Board of Supervisors
couldn't approve iti Upon inspection it was noted that “
the arches weren't true and the fioors were sunken."
Also the new bridge stood higher than the old one and
there was a need to widen the grade from the bottom on
up. The agent. named Jones. came for his $772 cash
and the bridge warrants to balance the $2.772. but he
had to go away without the desired funds.
A new bridge was promised by the Ohio-based bridge
company. but attempts to correct the defects were in
vain. To add to the problems of the community at this