Hannibal Bridge
{{Short description|Bridge in Missouri}}
{{For|the rail bridge crossing the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri|Wabash Bridge}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox Bridge
|bridge_name= Hannibal Bridge
|image= File:Hannibal-bridge.jpg
|image_size=300px
|caption= A postcard {{circa|1908}} shows the Hannibal Bridge after its reconstruction due to severe structural damage
|official_name=
|also_known_as= Missouri River Bridge
|carries= Railroad and pedestrians
|crosses= Missouri River
|locale= Kansas City, Missouri to North Kansas City, Missouri
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|open= {{start date and age|1869}}
|closed= {{end date|1917}}
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|coordinates = {{coord|39.112672|-94.58864|display=inline,title}}
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The First Hannibal Bridge was the first permanent rail crossing of the Missouri River{{Cite web|url=http://kchistory.org/content/hannibal-bridge-profile|title=Hannibal Bridge Profile|last=Conrad|first=David|date=2003|website=kchistory.org|language=en|access-date=2017-12-19}} and helped establish the City of Kansas (renamed Kansas City, Missouri, in 1889) as a major city and rail center. In its early days, it was called the Kansas City Bridge.https://www.kcur.org/community/2015-06-25/photos-kansas-citys-bridges-tell-a-story-of-creation-and-destruction It increased area train traffic, which contributed to the building of Union Depot, the predecessor to the Kansas City Union Station.{{Cite web|url=https://kchistory.org/week-kansas-city-history/bottoms|title=Bottoms Up {{!}} KC History|website=kchistory.org|access-date=2020-04-10}} It was severely damaged by a tornado and replaced in virtually the same location by the Second Hannibal Bridge.
History
Construction started in 1867, shortly after the end of the American Civil War,O. Chanute and George Morison, The Kansas City Bridge with an account of the Regimen of the Missouri River and a Description of the Methods used for Founding at the River, D. Van Nostrand, NY, 1870, Michigan Historical Reprint Series, University of Michigan and was completed in 1869. The bridge was built for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad by the Keystone Bridge Company. The completion of the bridge came after a short battle between Leavenworth, Kansas, and the City of Kansas for the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad bridge.
File:Hannibal Bridge.jpg, Octave Chanute, and George S. Morison stand on the Hannibal Bridge in July 1869.]]
The bridge was designed by Octave Chanute, who also designed the Kansas City Stockyards and later became a pioneer in aviation. After hearing of the proposed bridge at the City of Kansas, Joseph Tomlinson contacted Chanute and they corresponded on how best to cross the Missouri River. In October 1867, Chanute hired Tomlinson as the superintendent of superstructure.{{cite book|last=Short|first=Simine|title=Locomotive to Aeromotive: Octave Chanute and the Transportation Revolution|publisher=University of Illinois Press|location=Champaign, Ill.|date=2011 |isbn=9780252080142 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EfnJecwvrCkC}} George S. Morison, who later became a leading bridge designer in North America, apprenticed under the supervision of Tomlinson and Chanute during the construction of the bridge. It was a swing bridge that could open in under two minutes, and had an arched truss design. Construction cost {{US$|1 million|long=no}} (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US|1000000|1867|r=0}}}} in {{Inflation-year|USD}}).
In 1886, the bridge was severely damaged by a tornado that collapsed a middle span. It was reconstructed and its truss structure was altered from an arch design to a traditional truss design. It was later replaced by the Second Hannibal Bridge {{Convert|200|ft||abbr=}} upstream on the northern bank, but at the same location on the southern bank where it enters into the gooseneck cut into the bluff.{{cite web |year=1922 |title=Kansas City, Missouri |url=http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/Maps&CISOPTR=1525&CISOBOX=1&REC=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233600/http://www.kchistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/Maps&CISOPTR=1525&CISOBOX=1&REC=1 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |website=Missouri Valley Special Collections |publisher=Board of Park Commissioners, Kansas City, Missouri}}
See also
{{Commons category}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure = Crossings
|place = Missouri River
|bridge = First Hannibal Bridge
|bridge signs = (demolished)
|upstream = Second Hannibal Bridge
|upstream signs =
|downstream = ASB Bridge
|downstream signs =
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Category:Bridges in Kansas City, Missouri
Category:Demolished bridges in the United States
Category:Bridges completed in 1869
Category:Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Category:Buildings and structures in Clay County, Missouri
Category:Railroad bridges in Missouri