Dakota Datebook: Memorial Bridge

In 1922, Bismarck’s Liberty Memorial Bridge was a new way to cross the Missouri. Instead of crossing by boat or train, or in winter, on ice, cars could now cross the river freely.

On September 14, the Bismarck Tribune boasted a front-page aerial photo of the three truss steel structure as one of the first transcontinental car routes. Before 1922, travelers went great distances north or south...