McGilvray Road Bridge No. 1, Van Loon Wildlife Area, La Crosse, La Crosse County, WI

Significance: In 1897, Charles M. Horton of Minnesota received a patent for an improvement on trusses and bridges. According to Horton, riveted and bolted connections perforated the metal, needlessly weakening the joints. Instead, he claimed, one could strengthen a bridge by substituting alternative devices, such as hook-clips, for the rivets and bolts. The La Crosse Bridge and Steel Company of La Crosse, Wisconsin, obtained the rights to manufacture Horton's bridge design, when the firm incorporated in 1900. Between 1905 and 1908, the company erected five, possibly six, patent bowstring bridges along the McGilvray Road. This frequently traveled highway served as a natural transportation route from the city of La Crosse to the northwestern part of Wisconsin. The McGilvray Road bridges are five of only seven remaining bowstrings in the State. They are one of the few surviving records documenting La Crosse Bridge and Steel Company bridge-building activity and possibly the only remaining examples of Charles M. Horton's patented bridge designs. In addition, this section of the McGilvray Road provided the basis of a local controversy that resulted in legislative action and judicial intervention.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-9
Survey number: HAER WI-22
Building/structure dates: 1906 Initial Construction
National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 80000146