Located at a point where the Big Sioux River, Floyd River and Perry Creek join the Missouri; Sioux City has depended on a network of bridges to cross its waterways since its earliest days. Matt Anderson, Curator of History, provided a photographic overview of these impressive structures through the years.

Between 1865 and 1867 the Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the construction of a wooden bridge that carried Military Road across the Big Sioux River. Although smaller bridges spanning the Floyd River and Perry Creek preceded it, the Big Sioux River Bridge was the first to connect Sioux City to the American West. The Missouri River was not spanned until 1888 when the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad opened its new bridge linking Sioux City to Nebraska. It was followed by the Combination Bridge in 1896. Dozens of bridges and viaducts followed these early examples. The program will include the 4th Street, Floyd Boulevard and Gordon Drive viaducts; the Sergeant Floyd and Veterans Memorial bridges spanning the Missouri; and many more.

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