Transportation | Page 52

St. Paul's Original High Bridge

When St. Paul's High Bridge opened in 1889, only one bridge in the United States surpassed it in height and length. Built of wrought iron and designed for wagons, the High Bridge served mainly cars and trucks. It was demolished in 1985 after ninety-six years of service.

View on the Mississippi River

Oil-on-canvas painting of steamboats traveling the Mississippi River. Painted by Ferdinand Richardt in 1857.

Rock Island Excursion, 1854

On February 22, 1854, the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad completed the first rail line to connect the Mississippi River to the Atlantic Ocean. To promote that feat the company contacted notable East Coast citizens and journalists and invited them to ride their train to Rock Island. From there, the visitors took a steamboat trip up the Mississippi, stopping at St. Paul. The journalists, pleased with what they saw, wrote of the beauty and splendor of a region that many in the East thought was little more than a wilderness.

MN90: The Lighthouse Keeper's Mistake

Split Rock Lighthouse has been a fixture of Northern Minnesota for generations. But few know the story behind its shaky beginning. What happens when an overeager new lighthouse keeper jumps the gun?

MN90: The Lure of the Lighthouse

For decades, the majority of functioning lighthouses have operated mechanically, without a resident lighthouse keeper to keep things going. Yet tourists still flock to sites like Split Rock to ponder the lighthouse keeper’s lifestyle. What is it about a lighthouse that keeps us wondering?

MN90: The Citizens League

What makes Minnesota unique? The lakes, the weather...and the Minnesota Citizen's League. For over 60 years, the Minnesota Citizens League has helped tackle some of the toughest problems in the state. MN90 producer Allison Herrera tells us more about this influential organization.