This is Klondike Bridge near Larchwood, Iowa. A bridge was first built at this spot in 1901, but it proved inadequate to handle the traffic that followed, so in 1913, Lyon County contracted Western Bridge and Construction Company of Omaha to build the Klondike. The bridge was constructed in 1914 and opened for full-use in January of 1915. It is closed to all but recreational traffic today, but it carried interstate traffic across the Big Sioux River between South Dakota and Iowa until 1977, when a new bridge was constructed to the north.

This bridge is a Pratt through truss bridge, with Warren pony truss approach spans, unique and historically significant due to a non-standard design. The unusual engineering dates to a transitional time in Iowa highway bridge standards, detailed by Lyon County Economic Development, here.

Klondike Bridge has a long history as an important crossing between South Dakota and Iowa and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

This is a popular fishing spot for area anglers.







Above: Iowa on the right, South Dakota on the left.

Like old bridges? Check out Anderson Bridge, near Doon, Iowa.

There was once a Klondike Mill here, but today only part of the foundation wall remains with a scattered bit of machinery. There’s an area science teacher who has taken an interest in this place and has a very informative YouTube video here.

This log wedged itself into the railing when the water was high, then as the water level dropped the current agitated this log against the railing which acted like a saw blade and cut into the trunk. It’ll likely be hanging here until somebody gets rid of it, or until the river floods again.

Photos by Troy Larson and Terry Hinnenkamp, copyright © 2014 Sonic Tremor Media

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