The Van Loon Wildlife Area Truss Bridge Group, located in Northwest La Crosse County, Wisconsin, is a unique combination of five rare bowstring arch truss bridges and one low truss bridge which was adopted from Pierce County. They represent two styles of bridge construction popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries which are quickly being replaced due to deterioration or inability to meet today's greater traffic requirements. Currently the bridges are open only to pedestrian traffic. The bridges are located in the Van Loon Wildlife Area on the Old McGilvray Bottoms Road. The wildlife area contains about 4000 acres of land, much of it former farmland, along and through the Black River and its backwater. The purpose of the area is to provide fishing and hunting for waterfowl, upland game and deer.

The Black River had long blocked travel between the two counties before Alex McGilvray built his ferry in 1861. However the increased logging over the years made for difficult

 

maintenance and unreliable operations of the McGilvray ferry. After repeated petitioning from the residents of both Trempealeau and La Crosse counties, the La Crosse County board appropriated funds to construct the five bowstring arch truss bridges on the Old McGilvray Road. This old county road crossed over the swampy backwater as a direct route to the main channel bridge (1892-1954) which had replaced McGilvray's Ferry across the Black River. These five arch truss bridges which were built between 1905-1908 shortened the trip between rural Trempealeau County and the city of La Crosse by 8 miles.

The remaining bridges are identified as #1 through #6, with Bridge #1 being the most easterly and Bridge #6 the most westerly. A wooden king post bridge was located at the site of bridge #5.

Photo by Rick Staszewski

It stood the test of time until it had to be removed in 1986.  The five remaining bowstring bridges were constructed by the La Crosse Steel Company after it bought Charles Horton's patent. Horton's patent included a clip which was designed to allow a combination of round and square eye-bars with the eyes made by looping over and welding the end of the bar.  He believed a stronger bridge would result if the steel was forged instead of drilling holes for bolts, etc. It also allowed for movement which resulted from variation in weight loads.

In 1957 the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources acquired the roadway, bridges and much of the surrounding countryside for inclusion in the Van Loon Wildlife Area. William Van Loon was one of the first farmers to sell his land to the DNR.

In 1989 the DNR and Friends of McGilvray Road formed a partnership to save the bridges from demolition and to maintain the roadway and historic bridges for future generations.

The McGilvray Road Truss Bridge Group was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 27, 1980.  It was also designated Rustic Road #64 in 1995.