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THE FIRST RAILROAD BRIDGE ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
ARSENAL ISLAND
ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS 61299 -USA
Location: ROCK ISLAND, IL
Description:
HISTORICAL LANDMARK
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Comments/Directions:
Site of the first railroad bridge to cross the Mississippi river. Completed in April of 1856. a few weeks later, the steamboat Effie Afton struck the bridge. The steamboat was destroyed by fire and part of the bridge was damaged. The owners of the steamboat company filed a lawsuit against the Rock Island Railroad. The railroad was defended by Illinois attorney, Abraham Lincoln. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court which ruled in favor of Lincoln and the railroad. Years later the bridge was replaced. A monument still stands at the bridge site.
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Added 07/30/2006
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