West Bridge
About this property
West Bridge, also designated Bridge 6527, is a historic truss bridge over the Watonwan River in Madelia, Minnesota, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 for its state-level significance in the theme of transportation. It was nominated for being the only surviving work of seminal Minnesota bridge builder Commodore P. Jones, and for its early use of riveted joints. The West Bridge is a Warren through truss bridge. Built in 1908, it is the earliest bridge of its type remaining in Minnesota. It also used riveted connections before that was the standard in the state. The West Bridge was converted to a pedestrian bridge in 1990, with vehicular traffic routed over a new bridge immediately adjacent to the old one. It was closed to all use due to being unsafe to walk across. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 after the Watonwan County Historical Society received a grant to document the origins of the bridge. In 2017, Watonwan County received an Minnesota Department of Transportation grant for $108,000 to pay for restoration research and design to make the bridge safe for pedestrians and cyclists. List of bridges documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places listings in Watonwan County, Minnesota Media related to Madelia West Bridge at Wikimedia Commons Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. MN-134, "West Bridge, Spans Watonwan River adjacent to County Road 116, Madelia, Watonwan County, MN", 17 photos, 6 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
Location
Categories
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.
Everything a full report reveals about West Bridge
This page lists West Bridge. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was West Bridge listed on the National Register?
West Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 3, 2013.
What type of historic resource is West Bridge?
West Bridge is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for West Bridge?
The period of significance for West Bridge is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near West 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 West Bridge will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Watonwan County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Watonwan County.
Explore WatonwanCounty ›More historic places in Minnesota
Browse all historic places in Minnesota.
View Minnesotahistoric sites ›Minnesota history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
Minnesotahistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near West Bridge will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.