To spot the Veterans Bridge, look for a long steel and concrete structure stretching over the Mississippi River, held up by strong pillars, with simple railings and tall streetlights overhead.
Here you are, right by the mighty Veterans Bridge-a true backbone of St. Cloud! Picture yourself in 1867, tiptoeing over a rickety wooden toll bridge as wagons creak past and the wind whistles over the water. People would toss a coin just to cross to the other side! Decades later, the city saved up and rebuilt with iron and wood, making things a bit less nerve-wracking for everyone with a fear of splinters. By 1894, the wooden bridges bowed out and a deck truss bridge took their place, stretching proudly over the river for nearly eighty years. But nothing lasts forever except maybe your Uncle Ron’s stories-so in 1971, this current steel girder bridge took center stage, designed by the clever folks at Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff. Now, as cars hum by above you, think of all the travelers, tales, and even the toll collectors who once stood right where you are. That’s a lot of history crossing paths in one place!
