<P> The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi was built in 1856 . It spanned the river between the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois and Davenport, Iowa . Steamboat captains of the day, fearful of competition from the railroads, considered the new bridge a hazard to navigation . Two weeks after the bridge opened, the steamboat Effie Afton rammed part of the bridge, setting it on fire . Legal proceedings ensued, with Abraham Lincoln defending the railroad . The lawsuit went to the Supreme Court of the United States, which ruled in favor of the railroad . </P> <P> Below is a general overview of selected Mississippi bridges which have notable engineering or landmark significance, with their cities or locations . They are sequenced from the Upper Mississippi's source to the Lower Mississippi's mouth . </P> <Ul> <Li> Stone Arch Bridge--Former Great Northern Railway (now pedestrian) bridge at Saint Anthony Falls connecting downtown Minneapolis with the historic Marcy - Holmes neighborhood . </Li> <Li> I - 35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge--In Minneapolis, opened in September 2008, replacing the I - 35W Mississippi River bridge which had collapsed catastrophically on August 1, 2007, killing 13 and injuring over 100 . </Li> <Li> Eisenhower Bridge (Mississippi River)--In Red Wing, Minnesota, opened by Dwight D. Eisenhower in November 1960 . </Li> <Li> I - 90 Mississippi River Bridge--Connects La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Winona County, Minnesota, located just south of Lock and Dam No. 7 . </Li> <Li> Black Hawk Bridge--Connects Lansing in Allamakee County, Iowa and rural Crawford County, Wisconsin; locally referred to as the Lansing Bridge and documented in the Historic American Engineering Record . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Stone Arch Bridge--Former Great Northern Railway (now pedestrian) bridge at Saint Anthony Falls connecting downtown Minneapolis with the historic Marcy - Holmes neighborhood . </Li>

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