Great River Bridge

​We begin at the Mississippi river where WEST bound settlers came. They came to “Flint Hills” which was opened to European settlement in 1833. It was soon renamed “Burlington” after Burlington, Vermont.​Burlington was the second Capitol of the Wisconsin Territory (1837-1838) and first capitol of the Iowa Territory (1838-1840). Iowa became a state in 1846. The current capitol is located in Des Moines, Iowa.

Ahead is the beautiful Great River Bridge stretching across the Mississippi River to Illinois. It is 2,796 ft. Long with a 60ft clearance above the water. The current bridge cost $42 million to construct and opened soon after the Great Flood of 1993. The Bridge that preceded the Great River Bridge was the “MacArthur Bridge” (1917 to 1993).

FYI: From 1833 until 1917 (84 years) the only way to cross the Mississippi at Burlington was by boat or Ferry. Trains could go over the railroad bridge which was built in 1865.

Burlington was the first in the western part of the USA to have Incorporated a Golf Course, FM station, Masonic Lodge, Dental Society in Iowa, Medical Society, Post Office and many other things.

Over $100,000,000 has been invested in Burlington over the last ten years to improve its historical architectural assets.