The Bridge at Iverson Crossing

BY WAYNE FANEBUST

The bridge at Iverson Crossing and the road leading up to it are both named in the honor of Ole B. Iverson, a Norwegian immigrant who came to Dakota Territory from Iowa in 1868. He came with his father Iver, his brother Peter and brotherin-law Andy, all of whom claimed a series of 160 acre chunks of land along the Big Sioux River, from where present-day Brandon is located, all the way south to the Iowa border.

The Iverson’s domain also included what is now Gitchie Manitou State Preserve, a beautiful, well-wooded parcel of prairie located in the extreme Northwest corner of Lyon County Iowa, with the Big Sioux River as its western boundary. The park became part of a homestead in 1868, when Ole B. Iverson purchased 148 acres at a cost of $1.25 per acre. Iverson described the land as “smooth prairie with a very gentle slope toward the river,” a tract of land that included ten acres of “red Sioux Falls sand stone.” This, of course, is a reference the pinkish quartzite stone, the huge outcroppings of which that adds great beauty to the park. Iverson also noted that his land featured “the largest cottonwood tree I ever saw.”

Iverson also pre-empted the adjacent quarter of land on the Dakota side of the border. Other members of his family also claimed homesteads along the Big Sioux River, in Dakota, because Ole’s father wanted each of his children to have a farm “in the same neighborhood.” The land that would eventually become Gitchie Manitou State Preserve was part of the “neighborhood.” A peculiar feature of that

Mishap at the Iverson Crossing Bridge.

The bridge was the third to be built at this location. It was built for use by horse drawn wagons and buggies and was of the Parker through-truss architectural style ca. 1907.

rocky Iowa corner was a “rectangular block of stone ten feet long and five feet high….” It stood parallel to, and about six feet from, a “vertical cliff eight feet high.” The structures were such that the Iverson’s put up two other walls and a crude roof “for a very substantial house.”

It became the family headquarters. Unfortunately, they had swarms of mosquitoes for company, a common frontier pest. Eventually the Iverson’s built a large sod house on the property for father Iver. “This was the best house of the lot,” Ole recalled. About ten feet of it was situated in Iowa, the rest in Dakota. Many years later, when writing articles about his frontier experiences for The Daily Argus-Leader, Ole stated that his father’s bed “was placed so that his head and shoulders would sleep in Iowa and the other parts of him in Dakota.”

As they were the first to settle in what became Split Rock Township, their nearest neighbors were soldiers stationed at Fort Dakota, near the falls of the Big Sioux River. Ole conducted a life-saving journey to Sioux City and back with supplies badly needed by the soldiers. Life was indeed, one of hardships and danger and yet the Iversons thrived due to the presence of relatively clean water, rich soil, wild fruit and timber that grew along the river. In 1871, the settlers petitioned the Minnehaha County Commission to create a road through the Iverson property that forded the river at a place called “Iverson Crossing.” The area near the crossing was called “Gibraltar” no doubt because of the outcroppings of quartzite stone.

From the early 1870s until 1878, when the first railroad arrived in Minnehaha County, Iverson Crossing road was the principle artery of transportation for freight, mail and passengers from parts north and east. Stagecoaches from Blue Earth, Minnesota and Sibley, Iowa, forded the river at the crossing, as did other conveyances. During times of high water, fording was treacherous and many a wagon found itself tipped over or forced to retreat, thus stranding unhappy travelers. Through it all, Iverson Crossing became a landmark and a point of reference. It was frequently mentioned Dakota Territory newspapers.

In 1871, Ole B. Iverson was in the territorial legislature when that body sent a memorial to Congress asking that a bridge be constructed “at or near Gibraltar, or near where the Sioux Falls and Blue Earth City road crosses the same.” The idea was pre-mature because the first bridge over the Big Sioux River, “at or near Gibraltar” was not built until 1889. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by the calamitous flood of 1895. Another bridge was built but it too, gave way to springtime high waters.

The present bridge was constructed by S. W. Hewitt and Company in the Parker style, with arch walls and diagonal bracing. It features five connected structures meaning a main span camel back truss with a west approach of three four panel pony trusses and an east approach of one three panel pony truss. Although it has stood strong against many floods, the bridge was closed to the public in 1983.

The sturdy old bridge is now private property. Some years ago, my late friend Aaron Munson and I got it added to the national registry of historic places. While it will never see a tractor, truck or car pass over it, the grand old bridge will likely remain in place as a reminder of the past and of the visionary character of men like my friend Aaron, and of course, Ole B. Iverson.