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Wolf Point Bridge

One naturally wonders how Wolf Point, the town just upriver from the bridge, got such an evocative name. The town's <a href="https://ci.wolf-point.mt.us/community/page/history-wolf-point" target="_blank">website</a> is refreshingly candid on that topic: We will probably never know the truth behind the naming of Wolf Point; however, someone back in the mid-nineteenth century chose a name both colorful and unique." 

Here's the sign's text:

The Wolf Point Bridge was the result of many years of lobbying by Roosevelt and McCone county citizens led by Wolf Point businessman William Young. In 1927, the Montana Highway Commission and Bureau of Public Roads approved the project. The Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company of Leavenworth, Kansas began construction of the bridge in 1929.

The company’s construction camp on the north bank of the river included a powerhouse, workshops, office, a dance hall, bunkhouse and several small cottages to house the workers’ families. For most of 1929 and 1930, the site was the most popular tourist attraction in northeastern Montana.

The Wolf Point Bridge was dedicated on July 9, 1930. The celebration included speeches, bands, a float, cowboys, and a daylight fireworks show. The bridge was blessed by tribal elders from the Fort Peck Reservation. A crowd of perhaps 15,000 people attended the festivities.

The Wolf Point Bridge is the longest and most massive through truss in Montana. The structure is 1,074-feet long and contains 1,150 tons of steel. The 400-foot span is the longest in the state. When dedicated in 1930, the bridge 

 

This marker is in the mid-distance.

was called “A memorial to those whose lives have been lost in the Missouri and a monument to those whose cooperation made possible its erection.”

Submitted by @danbrekke



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