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=== Eads Bridge ===

=== Eads Bridge ===

An engineering marvel which stands to this day is the Eads Bridge (photo above), which crosses the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Illinois and was the first-of-a-kind in many respects.  It was the first significant bridge to cross the Mississippi River, the first to transport heavy railroad cars over the Mississippi, the first large structure having a frame made out of steel, and the first bridge of any kind across the Mississippi south of the confluence of the Missouri River, which makes the Mississippi River wider.  The Eads Bridge has a long span and a high elevation (for its time) above the water, so that boats could pass underneath.

An engineering marvel which stands to this day is the Eads Bridge (photo above), which crosses the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Illinois and was the first-of-a-kind in many respects.  It was the longest bridge at the time, the first significant bridge to cross the Mississippi River, the first to transport heavy railroad cars over the Mississippi, the first large structure having a frame made out of steel, and the first bridge of any kind across the wider Mississippi south of the confluence of the Missouri River.  The Eads Bridge has a long span and a high elevation (for its time) above the water, so that boats could pass underneath.

The bridge is named after its designer and builder, James Buchanan Eads, who was self-taught and widely ridiculed. This was the first bridge he had ever built!  Construction began in 1868 under his supervision with his then-controversial design, and was completed in 1874.  The river is wide and a very deep 103 feet there, because it is below the Mississippi-Missouri confluence.  But Eads implemented innovative construction including the first use of pneumatic caissons in the United States for the underwater construction, and above the surface he used what became the cantilever technique.<ref>https://study.com/academy/lesson/eads-bridge-construction-facts.html</ref>

The bridge is named after its designer and builder, James Buchanan Eads, who was self-taught and widely ridiculed. This was the first bridge he had ever built!  Construction began in 1868 under his supervision with his then-controversial design, and was completed in 1874.  The river is wide and a very deep 103 feet there, because it is below the Mississippi-Missouri confluence.  But Eads implemented innovative construction including the first use of pneumatic caissons in the United States for the underwater construction, and above the surface he used what became the cantilever technique.<ref>https://study.com/academy/lesson/eads-bridge-construction-facts.html</ref>