National Register of Historic Places

Bridge No. L-5573

Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota
Listed
January 25, 1997
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
96001613

About this property

The Clinton Falls Bridge, also known as the Old Mill Bridge and formally as Bridge L-5573, is a historic steel Pratt through truss bridge that spans the Straight River in Clinton Falls Township, Minnesota. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 as Bridge No. L-5573 for having local significance in the theme of engineering. It was nominated for being an example of early steel truss bridge design in Minnesota. The Clinton Falls Bridge is a single span, pin-connected steel Pratt through truss structure on concrete and limestone abutments. The overall dimension of the combined substructure and superstructure is 125 feet (38 m) by 22 feet (6.7 m). The superstructure is eight panels and includes a floor system made up of 3-by-12-inch (7.6 by 30 cm) treated timbers on five-inch (13 cm) steel I-section stringers which are themselves supported by 12-inch (30 cm) steel I-section floor beams. These beams are fastened to the hip verticals with riveted plates and are riveted directly to the intermediate posts, except for one exception: the first post to the east on the south side is welded to the floor beam with a steel plate set eight inches (20 cm) off-center; it is uncertain whether this was a repair or a correction of the design as it was being built. Both top and bottom lateral bracing consists of eye rods stabilized at intersecting points with bolted plates. The top chords, end posts, and intermediate posts are channels with riveted cover plates and lacing bars. The hip verticals are double forged eye rods, while the diagonals are double punched eye bars. The counters are turnbuckles. The lateral and portal struts are double angles to which portal bracing (double angles) is connected with ledger plates. The portal struts and bracing make up a riveted unit which is bolted to the end posts. Two-by-six-inch (5.1 by 15.2 cm) wooden guard rails are bolted to the bridge with angle sections. A builder's plate is fastened to the top portal struts at each end of the bridge. The concrete, poured onto the limestone abutments and wing walls, was added in 1975; other than that, the bridge is essentially in original condition. A fragmentary abutment, which supported an earlier, shorter structure at the same crossing, is located west of the current east bank abutment. Settlement in the area of Clinton Falls Township began in the 1850s; by 1855, Steele County was created and the township officially designated. Clinton Falls was one of the county's first settlements, flourishing in large part because of the establishment of the first gristmill in the county. That mill and its associated dam were listed together on the National Register from 1986 until they were removed in 2004.

Location

Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota
44.13379, -93.24410

Categories

ENGINEERING
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Piper, Daniel S., House
Industrial
2.3 mi
Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children
Listed
2.9 mi
Administration Building-Minnesota State Public School For Dependent and Neglected Children
Industrial
3.1 mi
National Farmers' Bank
Industrial
3.5 mi
Owatonna Free Public Library
Industrial
3.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bridge No. L-5573 listed on the National Register?

Bridge No. L-5573 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 1997.

What type of historic resource is Bridge No. L-5573?

Bridge No. L-5573 is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bridge No. L-5573?

The period of significance for Bridge No. L-5573 is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Bridge No. L-5573?

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