Bridges
Copper Country Heritage Guide - TypesThe task of transporting copper from mine to mill and then to smelter was made much more difficult by the rugged and rocky terrain encountered along the peninsula. Deep ravines and gorges had been cut through the high ridges and plateaus along the Keweenaw’s spine, requiring large trestles to be constructed in order to bridge the gap. To make things even more convoluted was the sheer number of separate railroad lines, which often crossed by mean of cuts and bridges. Along several portions of the most traveled corridors it was not uncommon to see several bridges stacked on on top of another.
With the advent of the automobile and the arrival of the state highway system to the peninsula, the difficult terrain reared its complications yet again. The most pressing obstacle was the Keweenaw Waterway, which had essentially cut the Keweenaw into two. Several of Michigan’s most unique bridges would follow, cumulating in the heaviest lift bridge in the world to do the job.
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C&H Trestle
Calumet – This small trestle carried the C&H Railroad’s Red Jacket spur over the Mineral Range Railroad’s main line.
Fanny Hooe Creek Bridge
Copper Harbor – This unique cement arch bridge crossing Fanny Hooe Creek was built in 1927 to facilitate the use of the newly opened state park on the other side.
Hungarian Gorge Trestle
Tamarack City – Originally built to carry the Copper Range railroad over the Hungarian Gorge, this soaring trestle was recently rebuilt to allow snowmobiles and ATVs to cross the same gorge.
Lake Shore Drive Bridge (1915)
Eagle River – This Warren deck truss bridge was one of Michigan’s original state funded bridges, built in 1915 to carry traffic over the Eagle River gorge.
Lake Shore Drive Bridge (1990)
Eagle River – Built in 1990, this beautiful and unique wood arched bridge carries US41 traffic over the Eagle River gorge.
Main Street Bridge
Eagle River – This through-truss steel bridge was built in 1909 to connect the east and west sides of Eagle River, previously separated by the river of the same name.
Old Mill Hill Trestle
Houghton – A series massive partially collapsed concrete pillars are all that remain of this soaring trestle that carried the Copper Range railroad over Old Mill Hill road.
Portage Lift Bridge
Houghton – Built in 1959 to replace in earlier swing bridge, this 100 foot tall lift bridge was built with a double deck to accommodate both road and rail traffic.
Pt. Mills Junction
Dollar Bay – Just this large concrete abutment remains of the trestle which once carried the Arcadian Branch of the Mineral Range railroad over the Copper Range tracks and adjacent highway.
Traprock Valley Railroad Trestle
Lake Linden – With C&H’s acquisition of several mines out of reach of its railroad, the C&H Line was extended eight miles from the mine’s mills at Lake Linden to Ahmeek – crossing over the county highway at this point.
