- Pile-Pontoon Railroad Bridge
The Pile-Pontoon Railroad Bridge was a floating bridge which crossed the
Mississippi River in northernIowa . [ cite web|url=http://wisconsinhistory.org/whi/fullRecord.asp?id=24811&...+and+construction |title=Pile-Pontoon Railroad Bridge |accessdate=2008-02-01 |publisher=Wisconsin Historical Society ]Marquette, Iowa became a major hub on the Midwest railroad, as grain from throughoutIowa andMinnesota was sent through the city en route toLake Michigan . Initially trains had to be ferried across the river between Marquette andPrairie du Chien, Wisconsin in order to continue their journey. A better solution was found by two men named Michael Spettel and John Lawler, who designed a permanentpontoon bridge to span the river in 1874. Prairie du Chien businessman Lawler took most of the credit for this invention, and made a small fortune through its operation. Marquette subsequently became home to a majorrail yard , which even as late as 1920 was the busiest in Iowa, employing 400 people.However, the railroad's significance declined and the last passenger train stopped in Marquette in 1960. The pontoon bridge was disassembled in 1961.
References
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