A Farewell from Black Hawk Bridge

as “told to” Shirley Darling, Lansing

I don’t know where to begin to tell my story, but best advice in those kinds of situations is to start at the beginning. So, I will do just that.
I was christened in 1931, and given the name Black Hawk Bridge. If you’re doing the math, that puts me at age 94. My father was J.P. Conway, a Lansing man involved in all things Lansing. I was just a gleam in my pappy’s eye back in 1898 when all he could think, dream and talk about was a bridge across the Mississippi River in Lansing.
Dad shared his dream with my Uncle Tom Bakewell, also a devoted Lansing man, and the two of them worked very hard to make me a reality. Unfortunately, Dad died before plans for me became real.
Shortly before his death, Dad and Uncle Tom united with a few other uncles of mine to form a committee devoted to selling the idea of a bridge at Lansing. A few of my other uncles, Moritz Kerndt, Fred Schafer, Julius Boeckh and Captain Harry Short, were members of that committee. Very soon, Uncle Joe Dempsey was on the list of avid supporters and promoters.
In 1914, the committee formed the Interstate Bridge Company and in 1916 they received a charter from Congress to build a bridge over the Mississippi River at Lansing. Even with all the tireless work of my uncles, it would be over a decade before the first ceremonial spade of dirt was turned over to signify my beginning.
No actual progress towards construction took place until the Interstate Bridge Company gave up its charter to the Iowa-Wisconsin Bridge Company in 1929. With their passion for the project, my crew of uncles instilled faith in the hundreds of investors who were mostly from the Iowa counties of Allamakee and Winneshiek.
In 1929, my foundational work began. In one short year, 1930, my design was changed from suspension to cantilevered through truss. Yahoo - lucky for me!!! That change in design saved me from being a nondescript, ho-hum sort of structure to the incredibly beautiful, recognizable icon I am (was). Now, I know it makes me sound pompous and arrogant to be so boastful about my beauty, but I can back it up with proof in the form of photos, etchings, paintings, murals, note cards, movies, etc., etc., produced in large numbers by an array of artists.
One instance in particular I feel quite noteworthy is my appearance in the movie “The Straight Story” released in 1999. It was a biographical road drama film starring Richard Farnsworth and Sissy Spacek. Check it out. Do the math again and you will see I was getting pretty long in the tooth in 1999. The movie producers had the last laugh on me in my big debut scene because they changed Lansing’s Welcome to Iowa sign to Welcome to Wisconsin. Oh, what the heck, Wisconsin is my friend, too, so who cares, right.
Getting back to my christening, what a shindig!!! Those people really knew how to throw a party complete with lots of dignitaries, both local and state, plus a representative from Chief Black Hawk’s tribe. Black Hawk (1767-1838) was leader of the Native American tribes of Sacs and Foxes inhabiting this area. He is remembered for his courage, loyalty and devotion to his people. As Black Hawk’s namesake, I knew my job would be more than to just pay tribute to him. All of his qualities would be expected of me. No pressure there, eh!
Sadly, Dad wasn’t there when those youngsters cut that big celebratory ribbon anchored to my sides, but I could feel his presence. It was a glorious, glorious day!! There is one thing you might not know about the hoopla surrounding that long-ago celebration. There was a man whose name escapes me now who paid well over $100 ($170?) to be the first to drive a car across my spanse. Imagine that!!
It was 1931 and our country was spiraling down into the depths and despair of the Great Depression. That guy’s one hundred 1931 dollars would be worth about $2,139 in 2025. Crazy, huh?!?! Even crazier was as part of the official ceremony another guy did a high dive off me into the river. I wasn’t expecting that so didn’t get his name either!! I knew right then that a lot would be expected of me and I prayed I could live up to all the hopes and dreams of those people.
It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing through the 1930s because ownership of the bridge was contested and financial difficulties cropped up. In those first years up to 1945, I was a toll bridge which was a pretty common thing back in those days. Still, the money just wasn’t generated as originally planned.
To make matters worse, in March 1945, the ice cutter Fern was on a mission for the military and pressure from the huge ice jam it created caused me to have an aneurysm on my main artery crossing the Winneshiek slough on the Wisconsin side. It did me some major damage and the Iowa-Wisconsin Bridge Company didn’t have the funds to fix me up. So, there I was, between a rock and a hard place and that’s where I stayed until about 1948 when Iowa and Wisconsin started to confer about taking on ownership of me.
I really did miss the school bus carrying high school students back and forth from small, nearby towns in Wisconsin to join with high school students at Lansing Public School. Those kids were great. For the remainder of school year 1945, those kids were ferried back and forth by launches so I did get to see them passing on the river underneath my span.
But, with all this waiting around to be fixed, my original wooden deck covered with asphalt began to deteriorate. My deck definitely needed to be replaced as well as the repairs to my artery. Each of my slough bridges needed to be upgraded from wooden pilings to concrete and steel. In 1956, with both states sharing in the costs, my old deck was replaced with one of steel grid work and my new slough bridges were of steel and concrete.
Friends, I was given a new lease on life and because of my new grid work, I learned to sing and I vowed never to stop singing to let everyone know how grateful I was to have been given a second chance to perform a job I loved. I know it took my Lansing friends a while to get used to me humming away, but lucky for me it didn’t take them long to enjoy hearing my song as much as I loved singing it. In fact, I was quite humbled when they gave me a new moniker,“The Singing Bridge”.
By the time 1957 rolled around, I was fit as a fiddle and ready to strut my stuff for a new generation - this time not as a toll bridge. I was in service for a short time before my second christening party but I don’t believe anyone paid a premium price to be first to hear me sing like the guy back in 1931. But, if I thought my christening in 1931 was big, I was about to be treated to the mother of all shindigs in July 1957.
Same number of dignitaries, same ribbon-cutting ceremony, but this time there was the biggest parade I have ever been a part of. Maybe the parade was a replacement for the high dive guy in 1931. I know I was happier not to be a witness and participant in such a heart-stopping high dive moment. Parade units lined every inch of my artery stretching from the Wisconsin hills, up on my deck clear to the middle where the celebratory ribbons connected my sides.
I was brought to tears when members of the color guard stood so strong and tall holding Old Glory high and flanked by the state flags of Iowa and Wisconsin. The band from Lansing Public School drew lots of praise as they marched in step behind the color guard in brand new uniforms. I watched in awe as all the other parade units showed their best. Parade participants came from all over the Tri-State area to show appreciation and happiness for the re-dedication and reconnection of our two states.
Local and area newspapers did a super job reporting this event. Once again, I could feel the presence of my dad, my uncles and every other person who took a chance on me smiling down and celebrating along with the huge crowds. And, once again, as I was re-dedicated to the memory of Chief Black Hawk, I felt the same awesome sense of responsibility that washed over me in 1931.
Boy, did it feel good to be back at work. Since my beginning, I had developed a bond with the local Lansing people and wanted them to know I would forever be looking over and out for them. I learned how a big brother must feel watching over younger siblings. My new voice was more of a help in getting my message of calm across than you can imagine.
Maybe you don’t know this but I have a laundry list of songs I sing. While they may sound the same to you, I assure you the journeys you take are different and so are my songs.
For those heading out to work, my song is Take Care and Have a Nice Day.
Heading out for medical reasons? I will sing Good Luck and Try Not to Worry.
Vacation? Hear me humming You Earned This Now Enjoy It.
School and charter buses bring out my hymn of Precious Cargo On Board.
Ambulances, fire and rescue units will always hear me clearing a path and singing Help Is On The Way, God Speed.
Semi/tractor trailers, motor homes, pick-ups towing trailers listen to There’s Room To Spare For Both Of Us.
When you are returning from whatever journey you took, I have a selection of songs: Welcome Home, I Missed You; Long Time No See; Stay Awhile; Enjoy Your Stay; What Took You So Long; There’s No Place Like Home.
And, I have a special message of apology for the motorcycle riders I called on to dance a do-si-do when you started your ascent up onto my grid. I want you to remember, I was just kidding. I was feeling a little mischievous those days and didn’t mean to scare you.
Besides, I wanted everyone to know I could dance as well as sing. Okay, okay, so I sound corny about my songs. My point is, I’ve always tried to have your back and keep you safe as you traveled across my arms.
As I think back, it wasn’t all fun and games. Ol’ Man River and I have always been pretty good friends but there were times when I couldn’t figure out why he was so riled up.
One time in particular was the spring in 1965. He went on a rampage like no one had ever seen. Flood stage on the river in Lansing is 18 feet. In late April 1965, those muddy waters crested at 22.5 feet!! I had my pierlegs rolled up as high as I could get them and still got wet around my cuffs.
My fine-feathered tenants got a bit nervous and requested temporary housing in my upper areas. Volunteers frantically filled sandbags as fast as they could and tried to keep my dike arms above water, but it was of no use and traffic across me came to a halt for a while. But, Ol’ Man River gave up on his rant and by the first few days in May 1965 I was back in business.
A few other scary times were when I took some hits from south bound and out of control barges that ran into trouble making the river’s bend just a bit north of me. After those hits, all my rivets shivered and I had a headache like one gets from too much time at the tavern - a doozie of a hangover, for sure. It was after those hits, divers from the Iowa DOT’s bridge medical team examined my piers to be certain I was in good shape to continue working.
Through all these years the community of Lansing and its people have always had my back. One family, in particular, deserves special mention. That would be the Dunlevy family, well-known in this area for their weekly newspaper published for many years under the name of Allamakee Journal. Existing over a century, the business was headed by four generations of Dunlevy men.
The collective skills of that family of journalists gave me and my name a boost plus an added reputation for strength and beauty. Intended or not, they accomplished this boost through frequent chronicles of my activities set to press along with some flattering photos of me.
With that thought in mind and truth be told, I have had several facelifts in the form of fresh paint applied over the years. But, the most significant and extensive face lift came in the form of bridge lights in 2004. This project was the culmination of an idea proposed by Bruce ReVoir in December 1999. A committee of like-minded people was formed and it was one of the proudest moments in my life the first time those lights were aglow. The honor of representing special and significant moments in the lives of so many people gives me more joy than I can express.
So, dear friends, it’s time for me to sing my swan song and become a part of Lansing’s history. Dad and my uncles will be expecting a complete report from me. The beginning line in that report will be to thank them for the opportunity to serve my beloved community of Lansing and its area citizenry for nearly a century.
I sincerely hope that future generations will give my replacement the same love and attention as past generations have given me. Who knows, maybe I will be reincarnated.

Goodbye and God Speed,
Black Hawk Bridge
1931-2025