2015 Bridge Birthday Bash and Bicycle Ride

Photo by National Park Service Title: Chain of Rocks Bridge, St. Louis, Missouri
Source: National Park Service

 Celebrate the 86th birthday of the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge with a scenic, family-friendly ride and the Birthday Bash, where you'll enjoy birthday cake, live music, beer, and food for purchase this Sunday, June 28, 2015.

The Chain of Rocks Bridge has an interesting history.  Its name came from a 17-mile shoal called the Chain of Rocks, beginning just north of St. Louis.  The multiple rock ledges just under the surface made this stretch of the Mississippi River extremely dangerous to navigate.  In the 1960's the Corps of Engineers built a low-water dam covering the Chain of Rocks.  That's why visitors today can't see them.

Construction of the bridge started on both sides of the river simultaneously in 1927.  The piers were completed by August of 1928.  A grand opening had been planned for New Year's Day 1929, but floods and ice slowed the work schedule.  The Chain of Rocks Bridge finally opened to traffic in July of 1929.

Because the bridge has not been significantly altered over the years, a visit to the bridge conveys a strong sense of time and place, an appreciation for early-20th-century bridge construction, and outstanding views of the wide Mississippi River.   

Registration on day of ride will take place from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.  Price:  $10 Trailnet members; $15 non-members.  Cyclists will have a choice of 69, 51, 31 and 23-mile routes.  The terrain is mostly flat to gently rolling, no big hills.  For more information, visit the trailnet.org web site or call (314) 436-1324.

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Related Resources

• Trailnet