Bridging the Wishkah: Aberdeen’s New Gateway
A municipal franchise authorizes a new iron-and-wood swing bridge to connect Second Street to the north side of the river.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The City Council of the City of Aberdeen has ordained that a franchise is granted to Alexander Young to construct a truss iron and wood swing bridge over the Wishkah River. The bridge will be located at the foot of Second Street in France's Addition, extending across the river to the foot of Young Street. It must feature a 125-foot draw for river traffic, a 16-foot wide roadway, and four-foot sidewalks. Once completed, Young must transfer the title to the city, which will then compensate him with a warrant for $1,500. The bridge must be maintained as a free thoroughfare for the public.
“Said bridge shall be constructed of wood and iron after the most approved pattern of such bridges.”
Infrastructure expansion in the 1890s was the lifeblood of Aberdeen's growth, with private developers often leading the charge before turning assets over to the city. Today, the bridges across the Wishkah remain critical, though the scale of the traffic and the nature of municipal oversight have evolved significantly from this era of horse-drawn carriages and steam navigation.
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