Historic Bridges of Illinois

Photographs and captions by Roger McCredie

"Historic Bridges of Illinois," an exhibit featuring photographs by Roger McCredie, was produced by the Illinois Department of Transportation and displayed recently at the IDOT art gallery in Springfield. The exhibit features more than 30 color and black and white photographs; all were men since 1985. Mr. McCredie retired from the Illinois Department of Transportation at the end of 2002 after 35 years of service, lie holds a bachelor's degree in design from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and has done paduate work til Sangamon State University (now University of Illinois at Springfield). For more about "Historic Bridges of Illinois." or to find out how to arrange a local exhibit of the work, visit www.dot.state.il.us/art/artexhibit.html.

Wallich Bridge over the Vermillion River, in Livingston County.

The bowstring truss shape of Wallrich Bridge is highly economical when it comes to material because the stress in all members is neark uniform. Often called "rainbow bridges, these visually pleasing trusses were popular helore about 1870, when favor turned to rectangular metal truss designs. This bowstring truss, which was constructed in 1905, now spans the North Fork of the Vermilion River in eastern Livingston County Used originally in Kankakee County, the bridge was moved to this location. Brought by rail to the siding at Charlotte, it then was transported in pieces by horse and wagon to the site, where it was erected by local labor.

The geography in this part of Livingston and Ford counties is extremely flat glacial pan. The areas rich prairie soil went undiscovered, though, and settlement lagged behind the rest of the state because settlers were not attracted to the lakes, swamps and wetlands that dotted the landscape. The area was also disturbingly devoid of trees. Turn-of-the-century dredging and channelization made the land more hospitable for agriculture and, in the process, actually created rivers and streams. To me, it seemed strange to see a river of this size running through a place with no other apparent geography — no flood plain, no bottom ground, just flat farm fields and then the river.

The traffic count at the bridge was very low the day I was there. One farmer stopped to find out what I was doing. He lived south of the river but had ground on the north side and was strongly in favor of replacing the structure because he had to go several miles west to another bridge that would accommodate his huge farm equipment. So much for historic sentimentality in the era of modern agri-business!

The Joe Page lift bridge crosses the Illinois River at Hardin. This photo was taken just after sunrise on May 6, 1997.

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This shot of the new Clark Bridge was taken on taken September 13, 1994, during the demolition of the old bridge; only two of the old steel truss spans remained. The old spans were being dynamited and fished out of the river one at a time. Bob Sumner, a photographer in District 9 (Carbondale), and 1 were shooting the dynamiting of a span earlier that day and stayed around to see how the scene would be at sunset. Bob is the moving figure with tripods in the lower left.

Sugar Creek Covered Bridge in southern Sangamon County near Glenarm was extensively renovated in 1994. It is closed to traffic and is an attraction in Pioneer Park. The first cabin built in Sangamon County is marked by a stone pyramid a few hundred yards northeast of the bridge. This photograph was taken on May 8, 2001.

The North Branch of the Chicago River has been closed for several years to tall river traffic that would require raising the drawbridges. The Cortland Street Bridge, which has a relatively low traffic count, was rehabilitated in the mid 1980s and will remain as a historic landmark; many others are scheduled for replacement with fixed bridges. This photograph, also made for the historic bridge program, was shot April 27, 1987.

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