Ghosts of North Dakota bridges
Ghosts of North Dakota Facebook page features two area bridges recently...
Colton’s Crossing
Colton’s Crossing is a 128-foot pin-connected Pratt through truss bridge, and it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge was built by Hewett Bridge Company of Minneapolis in 1907. At the time these photos were taken Colton's Crossing reportedly was the oldest surviving through truss bridge in Ransom County.
The Colton's Crossing Bridge, in Ransom County, North Dakota near Lisbon, North Dakota, also known as Sheyenne River Bridge, was built in 1907. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1997.
According to its NRHP nomination, the bridge serves as a representative example of the pattern; it is the oldest documented bridge in [Ransom County] constructed by a long-term county bridge builder, the Hewett Bridge Company. The bridge is also significant ... for its association with attempts by North Dakota counties to expand and improve transportation networks prior to 1926 by construction of through truss bridges, relatively costly structures. Through truss bridges with documented construction dates and builders, such as this one, best illustrate this important trend in North Dakota bridge con
struction.
It is also significant as being the oldest surviving metal truss bridge in Ransom County. It was built in 1907 for a contract price of $3,890.
It crosses the Sheyenne River.
Martinson Bridge
Martinson Bridge is in Ransom County, about thirty miles south of Valley City, in the Sheyenne State Forest. This bridge was built in 1920 and has undergone substantial reconstruction and improvement over the years.