Historic Bridges

Details

At the turn of the century, Clayton County contracted with a variety of firms and individuals to build bridges across the county's myriad streams and ditches. For longer-span crossings (often across the Turkey River) the county opted for iron or steel trusses, whereas at shorter crossings, rudimentary timber stringer structures were often erected. For some crossings, though, the county took advantage of the area's limestone quarries and erected arch bridges built of stone. Constructed by numerous local stone masons, these crossings have maintained a higher degree of structural integrity than either their timber or steel stringer counterparts. The most notable of Clayton County's stone arches is Byrne and Blake's 189-foot Keystone Bridge, built over the Turkey River at Elkader in 1888-89.

A 20-foot example of stone arch construction is the Monona Township Culvert, built on a skew, located 1.5 miles southwest of Luana in Monona Township. The bridge was built in 1899 by Frank Boyle, who likely obtained the stone from either the Motor Quarry near Motor Mill, or Coles Quarry near Elkader. Frank Boyle was probably related to A.C. Boyle of McGregor, Iowa, who built a number of similar stone bridges around the county. The arch's cost was not recorded, but probably cost under $1,000, based on known costs of other such stone arches of the period. Today, this bridge exhibits an exceptionally high degree of craftsmanship and historical integrity [adapted from Fraser 1991].