ADVrider - View Single Post - Searching for Old Bridges in Central Illinois

rhino_adv · 06-24-2011, 09:10 PM

If you dont know this bridge is here, you will never find it. The road on both sides of the bridge has disappeared into the timber.I parked the DR650 and hiked down a fence row to a bridge hidden a few hundred yards off a blacktop near the old McLean County ghost town of Pleasant Hill. Here lies a relic of a bygone era on the Mackinaw River. Named for its gracefully arched iron beams, the Rainbow Bridge is one of the few remaining iron bridges that still span the main channel of the river. Constructed in 1868 under the supervision of road commissioner Moses Cochran, it was the first iron bridge built in Lexington Township and just the second iron bridge in McLean County.
The building of the “new” bridge was a direct result of an incident in which a man and his team of mules drowned while attempting to ford the Mackinaw River near this location. Rainbow Bridge became a great service to the citizens of Pleasant Hill and Lexington – particularly for those living south of the river, as most of the stores, schools and churches were located on the north side.
The Rainbow Bridge was condemned to motor traffic in the 1960’s and its wooden deck planks have deteriorated and been carried away by the countless floods. As it stands today, the Rainbow Bridge is still in remarkably good condition for a structure that is over 140 years old.

Location: 40°36'15" N, 88°45'16" W

06-24-2011, 09:10 PM	#10
rhino_adv ^OP Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Apr 2010 Location: central Illinois (Armington) Oddometer: 597	Rainbow Bridge If you dont know this bridge is here, you will never find it. The road on both sides of the bridge has disappeared into the timber.I parked the DR650 and hiked down a fence row to a bridge hidden a few hundred yards off a blacktop near the old McLean County ghost town of Pleasant Hill. Here lies a relic of a bygone era on the Mackinaw River. Named for its gracefully arched iron beams, the Rainbow Bridge is one of the few remaining iron bridges that still span the main channel of the river. Constructed in 1868 under the supervision of road commissioner Moses Cochran, it was the first iron bridge built in Lexington Township and just the second iron bridge in McLean County. The building of the “new” bridge was a direct result of an incident in which a man and his team of mules drowned while attempting to ford the Mackinaw River near this location. Rainbow Bridge became a great service to the citizens of Pleasant Hill and Lexington – particularly for those living south of the river, as most of the stores, schools and churches were located on the north side. The Rainbow Bridge was condemned to motor traffic in the 1960’s and its wooden deck planks have deteriorated and been carried away by the countless floods. As it stands today, the Rainbow Bridge is still in remarkably good condition for a structure that is over 140 years old. Location: 40°36'15" N, 88°45'16" W __________________ Old Bridges Thread Riding the TWAT 475+ Bridges in Illinois, 985+ Old Bridges in Missouri PAVED ROADS...... ANOTHER PERFECT EXAMPLE OF NEEDLESS, SPENDING BY THE GOVERNMENT"