Presentation on historical and archaeological work regarding Black Hawk Bridge replacement project scheduled for Thursday at Meehan Memorial Library

The Meehan Memorial Lansing Public Library will be hosting a presentation Thursday, January 12 at 4 p.m. regarding the historical and archaeological work that continues to take place regarding the Black Hawk Bridge replacement project. Brennan Dolan from the Iowa Department of Transportation and Ray Werner from Tallgrass Archaeology, LLC will make the presentation.

The Iowa DOT is working through the final considerations of the National Historic Preservation Act as the bridge project prepares for letting. The bridge architectural retention schedule and other mitigation efforts will also be discussed.

Recent research about the bridge will be shared and discussed. This final phase focuses on the historical context from the late 1920s through the 1950s when the bridge was opened and became ensnared in extensive fraudulent trials. Attendees will learn about some of the actions that suspicious investors took resulting in many of the legal entanglements that surrounded the private ownership of the bridge prior to its purchase by the States of Iowa and Wisconsin.