The Ties That Bind

The Ties That Bind (HM2ANH)

Location: Alpena, MI 49707 Alpena County
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Country: United States of America
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N 45° 3.794', W 83° 25.841'

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Inscription

Alpena's Second Avenue Bridge

From the time of Alpena's inception it was divided by the Thunder Bay River, although most of the community was centered on the south side. A wooden scow served as a ferry, connecting Second Avenue on the south side with Dock Street on the north; it was pulled back and forth across the river with a rope. In the spring of 1864 the community provided $1,000 for construction of a bridge. The simple, fixed wooden span was built by Obed Smith. It served its purpose, but the bridge did not last; it fell into ruin in five or six years, and the inefficient old scow ferry was reactivated.
A second bridge was constructed by Samuel Boggs of Alpena in 1872-73. This was a wooden swing bridge that could be opened to allow ships upstream of Second Avenue. It meant that sawmills and commercial docks could be constructed at upriver locations, and several large mills were constructed during the mid 1870s as a result. The wooden swing bridge was replaced by a sturdier steel structure in 1886, built by the Smith Bridge Company of Ohio.
The current Second Avenue drawbridge was authorized in August, 1938 and construction began the following spring. The bridge opened to pedestrian traffic on December 1, 1939 and to vehicular traffic five days later. With a horizontal clearance of 72 feet, it permitted easy access for all but the largest

Great Lakes freighters of the period.

Details

HM Number	HM2ANH
Tags	Bridges and Viaducts, Industry and Commerce, Waterways and Vessels
Placed By	Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Trail
Marker Condition	No reports yet
Date Added	Tuesday, August 21st, 2018 at 2:04pm PDT -07:00

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Locationbig map

UTM (WGS84 Datum)	17T E 308635 N 4992849
Decimal Degrees	45.06323333, -83.43068333
Degrees and Decimal Minutes	N 45° 3.794', W 83° 25.841'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds	45° 3' 47.64" N, 83° 25' 50.46" W
Driving Directions	Google Maps
Area Code(s)	989
Which side of the road?	Marker is on the right when traveling North
Closest Postal Address	At or near 145 Water St, Alpena MI 49707, US
Alternative Maps	Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap