I have a wonderful old map celebrating the Illinois Sesquicentennial, 1818 - 1968. On this map, it shows the bridge and reads, "First Bridge over the Mississippi at Rock Island - 1856. I also have an old book from 1906 written by Randell Parrish, he writes this about the bridge, "It was a drawbridge, and built without any legal authority, simply by a charter from the State of Illinois. It was commenced in 1853, and was the most dangerous obstruction to navigation ever constructed, on account of its being located over a chain of rocks, producing boils and cross currents which were difficult to keep a boat in. Many lives were lost in passing though the draw, and under the bridge, and many rafts were broken up." This bridge was finally torn down by the Act of Congress, and rebuilt higher up the river. There were many barges and steamboats used, which probably carried wagons and horses to the other side before the bridges were built. Just to give you an idea, this is the description of one of the barges, "The old-time barge was a cumbersome, slow, and dangerous contrivance. These boats were from 25 to 100 feet long, with a breadth of beam of from 15 to 25 feet, and carrying capacity of from 6 to 100 tons." KarenB ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gail Kilgore" <gail.kilgore@gmail.com> To: <ILOGLE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 11:27 PM Subject: Re: [IL-OGLE] Mississippi Bridge >I have a diary that was written in 1851, I believe, and they were traveling > from PA to IA and took the train to Rock Island and then went by stage > coach > to Iowa City so they had to cross the river back then. > > g > > > On 4/15/06, Karen B <ihike4me@grics.net> wrote: >> >> The first bridge to be built across the Mississippi was at Rock Island >> near Moline, IL. in 1856. I would assume that there was also ferries that >> crossed the river before then. >> KarenB >> >> >> ==== ILOGLE Mailing List ==== >> Visit the Ogle Co. Genealogy Site: >> http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilogle/ >> Roger Cramer, List and Site Administrator: rogercubs@aol.com >> >> ============================== >> Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. >> Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: >> http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx >> >> > > > -- > ~gk~ > > > ==== ILOGLE Mailing List ==== > If you have old pictures, biographies, or obituaries of Ogle Co. family > that you would like to share with others on the Ogle Co. Genealogy Site, > please send them to Roger Cramer at rogercubs@aol.com > > ============================== > Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for > ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx > >

Too bad the journal didn't say how he crossed the river, just that the train took them to RI and then they went by stage to Iowa City. g On 4/15/06, Karen B <ihike4me@grics.net> wrote: > > I have a wonderful old map celebrating the Illinois Sesquicentennial, 1818 > - > 1968. On this map, it shows the bridge and reads, "First Bridge over the > Mississippi at Rock Island - 1856. I also have an old book from 1906 > written by Randell Parrish, he writes this about the bridge, "It was a > drawbridge, and built without any legal authority, simply by a charter > from > the State of Illinois. It was commenced in 1853, and was the most > dangerous > obstruction to navigation ever constructed, on account of its being > located > over a chain of rocks, producing boils and cross currents which were > difficult to keep a boat in. Many lives were lost in passing though the > draw, and under the bridge, and many rafts were broken up." This bridge > was > finally torn down by the Act of Congress, and rebuilt higher up the river. > There were many barges and steamboats used, which probably carried wagons > and horses to the other side before the bridges were built. Just to give > you > an idea, this is the description of one of the barges, "The old-time barge > was a cumbersome, slow, and dangerous contrivance. These boats were from > 25 > to 100 feet long, with a breadth of beam of from 15 to 25 feet, and > carrying > capacity of from 6 to 100 tons." > KarenB > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Gail Kilgore" <gail.kilgore@gmail.com> > To: <ILOGLE-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Saturday, April 15, 2006 11:27 PM > Subject: Re: [IL-OGLE] Mississippi Bridge > > > >I have a diary that was written in 1851, I believe, and they were > traveling > > from PA to IA and took the train to Rock Island and then went by stage > > coach > > to Iowa City so they had to cross the river back then. > > > > g > > > > > > On 4/15/06, Karen B <ihike4me@grics.net> wrote: > >> > >> The first bridge to be built across the Mississippi was at Rock Island > >> near Moline, IL. in 1856. I would assume that there was also ferries > that > >> crossed the river before then. > >> KarenB > >> > >> > >> ==== ILOGLE Mailing List ==== > >> Visit the Ogle Co. Genealogy Site: > >> http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilogle/ > >> Roger Cramer, List and Site Administrator: rogercubs@aol.com > >> > >> ============================== > >> Census images 1901, 1891, 1881 and 1871, plus so much more. > >> Ancestry.com's United Kingdom & Ireland Collection. Learn more: > >> http://www.ancestry.com/s13968/rd.ashx > >> > >> > > > > > > -- > > ~gk~ > > > > > > ==== ILOGLE Mailing List ==== > > If you have old pictures, biographies, or obituaries of Ogle Co. family > > that you would like to share with others on the Ogle Co. Genealogy Site, > > please send them to Roger Cramer at rogercubs@aol.com > > > > ============================== > > Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for > > ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: > > http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx > > > > > > > ==== ILOGLE Mailing List ==== > Visit the Ogle Co. Genealogy Site: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilogle/ > Roger Cramer, List and Site Administrator: rogercubs@aol.com > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx > > -- ~gk~