01/13/2020
Disaster strikes. April 15th, 1905.
This bridge was built in 1897 by the the Mineral Range Railroad Company. This bridge was an iron swing type bridge, replacing the old wooden bridge that was in use by 1876. This bridge also featured a two lane roadway, with a railroad crossing underneath. New reconstructed support cribs were also sunk. But on August 15, 1905, disaster struck, when the steamer Northern Wave (Mutual Transit Co), crashed into not the bridge in the way to pick up cooper ingots from the Quincy Smelter. This bridge was soon replaced by another iron bridge 1 year later. On 1940 there was another near collision by the steamer Maritana, but it quickly dropped anchor which caught on the submerged telephone lines avoiding tragedy. The new iron bridge remained in use through the 1950s when it was replaced with the current Portage Lake Lift Bridge, the ribbon ceremony taking place on June 25th, 1960.
