Kern Bridge
About this property
Kern Bridge or Yaeger Bridge crossed the Le Sueur River in Blue Earth County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was built in 1873 using a bowstring through truss design by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company. It was 183.5 feet (56 m) long and carried a local road. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as Minnesota's only bowstring arch truss bridge and oldest road bridge still in use. However, it was closed to vehicle traffic in 1991. In 2019, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced plans to dismantle the bridge and store it for eventual reuse elsewhere. According to the department's website, it has been removed and is available for suitable relocation. Less than 5 miles (8 km) downstream from its original site, the historic 1873 Kern Bridge has found a new home connecting the Land of Memories Park to Sibley Park in Mankato. Mankato will receive federal funding (80 percent of cost) to relocate and rehabilitate the bridge. According to MnDOT, "Although Mankato is urban, the future Kern Bridge setting is wooded, crosses a large river, and is a similar context to the original bridge site." Pedestrians and bicyclists will access the bridge through the existing trail system. "The bridge will be seen from the north via a scenic overlook and from the south via U.S. Highway 169. Though the proposal included use of extensive approach spans to meet the river’s width," MnDOT says, "the choice of a streamlined girder will allow the arch to be visually prominent, an important consideration in re-listing the bridge" on the National Register of Historic Places.
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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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Questions about this property
When was Kern Bridge listed on the National Register?
Kern Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 1980.
What type of historic resource is Kern Bridge?
Kern Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Kern Bridge?
The period of significance for Kern Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Kern Bridge?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Kern Bridge will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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