Swan River Bridge
Between 1909 and 1918, the homestead boom and expansion of the logging industry dramatically increased traffic in northwest Montana. governments aggressively worked to meet heightened transportation needs by building better roads and bridges. In June 1911, the Flathead Commissioners hired Minneapolis bridge builder A. Y. Bayne & Company to construct this span at Bigfork. The bridge was part of an extensive program by the commissioners to develop the ’s infrastructure. Steel pin-connected Pratt through truss bridges like this one were typical of the steel spans Montana counties built by the hundreds between 1888 and 1915. Now a relatively rare sight, spans like the Swan River Bridge were once common in Flathead and across the state. Pin-connections, developed by the railroads in the 1840s, streamlined the construction process and made this style of bridge relatively inexpensive to build. Engineers had adapted the Pratt pin-connected truss for use as wagon bridges by the time the Civil War began. The pin-connections are seen where the vertical and horizontal steel beams meet at the top of the trusses. Construction of the bridge coincided with the expansion of a hydroelectric facility at the nearby Bigfork Dam. At the same time, access over the bridge sparked the expansion of Bigfork into a significant trade and industrial center in Flathead . Closely associated with the adjacent hydroelectric facility, the bridge also reflects the community’s growth from its humble beginnings in 1892 to a significant residential and commercial center in northwestern Montana.