At least 20 of these are in the downtown area.
5.
The city had become a hub for transportation and industry by the mid-19th century and Chicago’s river bridges played a large role in that. In a mere two miles, there are eighteen movable bridges.
The earliest movable bridge in Chicago was a drawbridge at Dearborn Street built in 1834. The city build its first drawbridge in 1834 with a modest timber structure and chain lifts—picture any bridge you would see above a Medieval castle moat. The bridge most identified with Chicago, the trunnion bascule, was developed in 1900, and the first one built, opened in 1902, remains at Cortland Street.
Regularly Operated Movable Bridges on the Chicago River. For a time, these contraptions would all lift up together when any large ship needed to pass through. These bridges connected the city’s diverse mix of people, neighborhoods and cultures. Concurrently in 2011-12 with filmmaker Stephen Hatch, they co-produced the documentary Chicago Drawbridges, which was first broadcast on Chicago public television in April 2013. The name Chicago derives from 17th century French rendering of a Native American term for ramps (Allium tricoccum), a type of edible wild leek, which grew abundantly near the river.
Cherry Street Bridge (Chicago) vx;a/Flickr. That is, Chicago.Looking forward to Spring in Chicago and increasingly warmer weather, it occurred to me as the bridge lift and sailing seasons get closer with the opening of the harbors on May 1st, these four are not the only one-hundred-plus bridges in Chicago. Bridge 4 is a twin-leaf, Chicago-type bascule bridge… These vast yet elegant structures are enduring symbols of Chicago’s historical and architectural achievements.After the trial and error period of several bridge types, the city settled on the Chicago-style bascule bridge, a drawbridge that uses a trunnion to lift the bridge’s leaf or leaves by counterbalance.Although Amsterdam beats Chicago when it comes to the sheer number of bridges, the Second City is known as the drawbridge capital of the world because no other city has experimented with as many drawbridge designs as Chicago.The apex of drawbridge innovation and construction occurred in the 1870s and returned in the first decade of the 20th century with the city’s employment of the bascule bridge design.The bridges spanning the Chicago River have been key to the city’s development. 6. I did some research and found that by the end of 2016, Chicago will boast a total of 24 centenarian moveable bridges spanning Chicago’s waterways!
7. The first children’s book Bridges of All Kinds is available now and the second picture book Drawbridges Open and Close illustrated by Johanna Kim is currently under review with several publishers. Thebes Bridge (Thebes) Curtis Abert/Flickr. The Chicago bascule name derives from the location where it is widely used, and is a refinement by Joseph Strauss of the fixed-trunnion. Patrick holds a bachelors in business administration and a masters in economics from Miami University.May we all live to still be relevant and useful after one-hundred or more years!That is, of the 61 drawbridges within city limits — second only to Amsterdam — nearly half are one hundred or more years old! Amazingly all four are still in use serving the Drawbridge Capital of the World. Eads Bridge (East St. Louis) Ken Lund/Flickr .