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Upper Mississippi River January 2001
Donation of Private Funds Helps Renovation of Eads Bridge
Just north of the majestic Gateway Arch, and next to the Jefferson National Expansion in St.
Louis, MO stands the monument from another era, the James Buchanan Eads bridge with its
massive three span steel arches with two stone piers and two masonry approaches. Eads Bridge
was built shortly after the Civil War (1874) and was the engineering and construction feat of its
day, a double-deck bridge for rail, highway, and pedestrian traffic. As the first major crossing of
the Mississippi River, the Eads Bridge became a critical link in the transcontinental railroad, and
it accelerated St. Louis development as the "Gateway to the West".
Today, efforts are underway to refurbish this historic bridge with historically accurate safety
railings and lighting. The plans include replicas of the original Eads railings, restoration of the
brickwork and acorn-style light fixtures hanging from L-shaped poles. Improvements also
include opening half of the four-lane bridge to bicycle and pedestrian traffic on weekends. This
area could later be converted to a full-time pedestrian and bike promenade.
This renovation work goes far beyond what was originally proposed for resurfacing Eads Bridge
and opening up to vehicle traffic. All of these changes have been made possible by a $1 million
dollar pledge coming from a group of 68 individuals, corporations and foundations. Mayor
Clarence Harmon and Trailnet, a St. Louis-based nonprofit group, recently made this
announcement and stated that these funds will be used to leverage additional federal and state
funding necessary to complete all of this work.
Eads Bridge is one of the "Keystone Projects" identified in the Upper Mississippi, American
Heritage Rivers Initiative.
Americorps Team at Work on Nahant Marsh
Nahant Marsh is a unique 513 acre urban wetland adjacent to the Mississippi River in Davenport,
IA. River Action, a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting environmentally responsible riverfront
development has been leading efforts to have this wetland area converted from its previous use as
a shooting range for a local sportsmen's association to the Nahant Marsh Outdoor Education and
Research Center. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service documented this area as a source of waterfowl
lead poisoning and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the expenditure of $2
million for the removal of lead-contaminated soil and sediment. The property is now under the
ownership of the City of Davenport and River Action is overseeing the restoration work.
The recent efforts of a nine-member AmeriCorps team have furthered the ongoing restoration work
at Nahant Marsh. This team of young people are constructing decking and railing on a boardwalk
and viewing platform at the marsh. A local engineering firm did the design work and a construction
company built the framework. Members of the AmeriCorps team are also doing other maintenance
and repair work for parks and trails in some of the surrounding communities. AmeriCorps is a
national service program that engages thousands of Americans of all ages and backgrounds in full-time and part-time community service, and provides education awards upon completion of a term
of service.
Nahant Marsh is one of the "Keystone Project" identified in the Upper Mississippi, American
Heritage Rivers Initiative
Downtown Minneapolis Riverfront Moves Forward with its AHRI Projects
On the central riverfront near downtown Minneapolis, MN, nearly 1,000 housing units have been
built or are under construction, many historic buildings have been preserved, and key park and
trail projects completed. In the St. Anthony Falls Historic District, the Minneapolis Park and
Recreation Board has undertaken an archaeological dig to expose the foundations of the water
power system and flour mills that made Minneapolis the "Mill City". The end results will be Mill
ruins Park, an urban archaeological interpretive park adjacent to a recently complete link in the
Great River Road, which recently achieved National Scenic By-way designation. The Minnesota
Historical Society is about to start construction of the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Center, a major
interpretive center which has been designated a "Save America's Treasures" project and will be
built within the ruin walls. Vacant historic buildings are being rehabilitated for loft housing and
compatible new construction housing is also planned.
Several St. Paul AHRI Projects Are Successful
A new Science Museum of Minnesota with 11 acres of exhibit space opened on St. Paul's
downtown riverfront in late 1999 and includes a Mississippi River Gallery created in partnership
with the National Park Service/MNRRA. Directly across the river from the museum, a grand
opening celebration in September drew 50,000 visitors to recently rehabilitated Harriet Island
Park, which includes new facilities, landscaping and a series of steps that lead directly to the
river. Plans are also underway to convert a 26-acre former industrial site to a mixed-use
development known as Upper Landing Urban Village, which would create 650 rental and for-sale housing units, 23,000 square feet of commercial space and a plaza in the downtown river
corridor.
Grand Excursion Planning Underway
(from the Quad Cities Times)
Riverfront communities from the Quad-Cities to the Twin Cities are combining efforts to mark
the 150th anniversary of the rail and steamboat excursion that helped introduce the nation to the
Upper Mississippi River Valley. In 1854, the New York Times proclaimed, "The Mississippi and
the Atlantic now share hands," meaning the first rail line from the East Coast to the mighty
Mississippi finally had been completed. A trek that used to take six weeks would take only six
days, the newspaper said. At that time, a group of 1,200, including former President Millar
Fillmore, participated in a celebratory journey described as the largest tourism event in pre-Civil
War history. The festivities surrounding this historic event became known as the "Grand
Excursion" Planning is now underway to re-enacted the Grand Excursion in 2004. Organizers are
working to schedule passenger train transportation to bring guests from Chicago to Rock Island,
IL where they will board a flotilla of replica steamboats to take them upriver to St. Paul, MN.
River communities along the way will have the opportunity to showcase there riverfront
improvement projects and participate in the celebration.
Mississippi River Trails
In 1999, the Upper Mississippi River Trails Working Group was convene to explore the
feasibility of extending the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) north from St. Louis, MO to the
river's headwaters in northern Minnesota. The MRT, one of 16 National Millennium Trails,
provides a signed, paved network of bike paths and bikeable roads between St. Louis and New
Orleans. The Upper Mississippi group, with regular participation of over 30 people from five
states, plus a mailing and contact list of nearly 100, has worked with appropriate state agencies
and local groups to map a feasible bike route along the upper river. The route, which emphasizes
safety and scenic beauty as well as route continuity, is largely on bikeable roads, although it does
incorporate rail-trail conversions and similar projects where feasible. The regional project builds
on important local trail development taking place in the St. Louis area, in and around the Quad
Cities region (Illinois-Iowa) and in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The project's
next steps include the following: review of the preliminary route by local officials and bicycle
groups to ensure that the best route is chosen; work with state and other agencies to build support
for physical route development as needed; expand the network of project participants to include
tourism groups, local boosters, educational attractions, and similar interests.
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