Stone Arch Bridge

스톤 아치 브리지

The Stone Arch Bridge is a former railroad bridge over the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the only stone arched bridge on the whole Mississippi, and the second oldest bridge on the river after the Eads Bridge.

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At a glance

Country: United States
Location: Minneapolis, USA
Built: 1883
Type: Bridge

Quick answers

Where is Stone Arch Bridge?

Stone Arch Bridge is in Minneapolis, USA, United States.

When was Stone Arch Bridge built?

Stone Arch Bridge was built in 1883.

A curving stone-arch railroad bridge across the Mississippi below St. Anthony Falls, now for walkers and cyclists.

Railroad tycoon James J. Hill built it in 1883 for his Great Northern Railway. People first called it Hill's Folly until it proved useful. Today it is a bridge for walking and cycling, with views of the falls and the city. It was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1974 and sits in the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District.

Why it was built

In the 1880s the city's rail lines were on the east bank, while most business was on the west bank. The bridge linked the railway to a new Union Depot, and it cost 650,000 dollars. Building took 22 months.

The curved design was planned to fit the falls and the land around them. Granite from Sauk Rapids was used for the piers, and limestone from Mankato and Iowa for the upper part.

Rail to trail

Trains crossed until 1978. When the Upper Lock and Dam were built, two arches were replaced with a movable truss so barges could pass. A flood in 1965 weakened three piers and made the bridge sag 14 inches, then it was repaired.

In the early 1990s it was changed into a path for people on foot and bikes. It became a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1974.