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| Title | Remember When...Grand Ave. had a swinging bridge? |
| Description | Where there's a bridge, there's a traffic jam. Even in the 1880s, horses, wagons and people had to bide their time while the Grand Ave. (Wisconsin Ave.) bridge swung around to permit passage of a boat. The line formed on the west side of the bridge in front of the George Ziegler Confectionery, where Gimbels stands today. This iron swing bridge was constructed in 1881 and stood for 20 years before it was replaced in 1902 by the fixed trunnion steel bascule bridge that spans the Milwaukee River today. Prior to 1881 an old wooden swing bridge extended across the river at this spot. According to a news item in 1872, the bridge was operated 657 times in July of that year. That averages out to more than 20 times a day! To compound a driver or pedestrian's irritation, tenders were sometimes criticized for swinging bridges when a ship was blocks away. (Picture courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas G. Ewens and information from the Milwaukee Public Library local history collection.) |
| Library of Congress Subject Headings | Grand Avenue (Milwaukee, Wis.); Wisconsin Avenue (Milwaukee, Wis.); Streets -- Wisconsin -- Milwaukee; Horse-drawn vehicles; Bridges -- Wisconsin -- Milwaukee; George Ziegler Company; Ziegler Candy, Inc. |
| Publisher | Milwaukee Public Library |
| Contributor | Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas G. Ewens |
| Date Original | 188? |
| Source | Milwaukee Journal |
| Newspaper Publication Date | 1972-03-08 |
| Date Copyrighted | 2005 |
| Type | Image |
| Has Format | Photograph |
| Relation | RW 864 |
| Collection | Remember When, F. P. Zeidler Humanities Room, Milwaukee Public Library
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| Rights | All rights reserved © Milwaukee Public Library |
| Order form | http://www.mpl.org/coldfusion/email_digital_rw.cfm |
