Our next stop in the series is the town of Hawarden in northwestern Iowa. Located at the border with South Dakota on the Big Sioux River, this town of 2600 represents a typical Iowa farm community, with grain elevators and a railroad that passes through. In fact, the Hawarden Railroad Bridge, as seen in the photo by Linda Langhorn, is the longest railroad bridge over the Big Sioux River, featuring three quadrangular through truss spans and multiple span girders, totaling a length of just short of 1100 feet. It was built in 1904 by the American Bridge Company; the girder spans were later added. It serves a rail line connecting Sioux Falls and Sioux City along the Big Sioux River.
This bridge luckily survived the river’s rath, as the river crested at 39.92 feet, breaking the record set in 1965 at 35.2 feet. Unfortunately, the rest of the town was not as lucky as much of the community was under water. The Big Sioux River was the same river that caused the collapse of a railroad bridge in North Sioux City, which we will get to later in the series. Thanks to substantial rainfall combined with the run-off upstream, this river will play a contributing factor in the causing the Missouri River to reach new highs in terms of flood record.
The last time the Missouri had such a flood event was in 2011. There, the river became the Red Sea for much of the summer, causing widespread damage in an area whose width stretched for over 200 miles. Many historic buildings and bridges were washed out or damaged beyond repair. The chances of that happening again are very likely and for areas, like Greenfield, which are still recovering from tornadoes that ripped through the area a few weeks ago, this could be too much for residents which could lead to many to leave their homes for newer areas.
But for now, instead of being too skeptical, one should think of the positive and hope for the best. This is how we have survived the previous floods, including the ones mentioned. This bridge stands as a testament to it. ❤️
The Bridgehunter's Chronicles 