Ahnapee, Algoma & the 2nd Street Bridge

Tongues have been wagging about Algoma’s 2^nd Street Bridge reconstruction for close to 20 years. According to Door County Daily News, it will happen this summer. A year ending in 9 seems to be magic for the bridge since 1899 and 1949 were the two most recent reconstruction years. Set in a 2019 context, discussion concerning the need for the bridge is not much different than it was following World War ll, or well before 1900. Who today would think at one time the bridge’s placement determined the center of town?

Algoma’s senior citizens remember the old iron bridge turning to allow boat traffic to get up river. In an earlier day, boats traversed the river, turning into Mr. Gericke’s dock to off-load provisions for his store at the northwest side of 2^nd and N. Water. Boats went to the furniture factory on S. Water, now Navarino, and as far as the Plumbers and the Veneer and Seating Co., last known as the Hardwoods.

Some of t hose same adults have not-so-fond memories of walking to or from St. Mary’s only to come upon seagulls vying for the fish guts on the deck planking. The gulls didn’t give up easily and the little kids weren’t about to take them on by walking right through. Older boys got plenty of attention as they chased screaming girls with those vile, half-eaten fish. Then there are those who remember getting pooped on when some pleasure boater sounded the horn when coming upon a flock of seagulls feasting near the bridge.

When Major Joseph McCormick and his party sailed up the (now) Ahnapee River to today’s Forestville in 1834, the guts could have been a lot bigger as later history recorded muskellunges of over 35 lb. caught in the river. In a day before the goose poop became part of its landscape, Algoma’s commercial fishing industry lined the river banks on either side of the 2^nd Street Bridge, and the gull offal was there.. Seagulls and fish guts have always been a part of Algoma, and a part of the bridge history.

Most presume that a bridge was always at 2^nd Street, but it wasn’t. The community’s first bridge was a log footbridge constructed near the mouth of the river in 1856 by Joseph Anderegg, Peter Schiesser, William Fagg and Matt Simon, however the mouth of the river wasn’t where it is today. A spit of land covered what today is the mouth. The river turned north, for about a block from the main channel, before turning east and entering Lake Michigan at a spot that in 2019 would approximately be the foot of Michigan Street. When the community’s first school opened on the north side of the river in 1855, south side children were not able to attend because the footbridge had yet to be built. A year after the footbridge, in summer 1857,  a wooden bridge was built near the mouth east of present-day Church Street, crossing the river just east of the current Von Stiehl Winery.

Then came years of problems. Spring ice raised havoc all over the county and when freshets washed out the bridge in April 1866, the bridgeless community turned to Captain Hank Harkins to run a ferry near the mouth for several months as it took some time before normal bridge travel was resumed. By June it was announced Ahnepee's* village bridge was nearly complete. 

Second Street Bridge - 1883 Birdseye Map

Following the Civil War, Ahnepee underwent a period of significant growth, and with that came the June 1868 opening of a new bridge. By then townsfolk, feeling the mouth bridge should be moved toward the center of town, replaced it with a log bridge built on the 2nd Street site. Repair of the 2nd Street bridge was news again on March 23, 1876 when Simon Haag was hired to replace the stringers and then replank the bridge at a cost of $120.00. It was imperative that the bridge was made safe until the channel was excavated to permit passages of vessels to the deeper waters above it. Steam drilling and blasting during harbor development in April 1876 caused the collapse of the newly repaired bridge.

Once again the bridge gave way in September when Charles Damas was crossing with his team hauling a load of wood. Luckily, Mr. Damas and his team were rescued without serious injury. Since the bridge was the only one connecting both sides of the community, once again the town provided a ferry, again run by Captain Harkins, until the bridge was repaired. In April 1883, the bridge was in trouble again. A new brace was a necessity and the drop needed a new 2” thick pine plank cover. The bridge was deemed unsafe again in June 1888 and finally repaired in December 1890.

The bridge remained an issue and when Ahnapee was in the midst of a boom in the summer of 1895, the city again decided to have the bridge repaired. There was no option in August. Seven hundred people -most of whom were on their way to St. Mary’s - crossed the bridge on Sundays. Between 70 and 80 teams also crossed the bridge, however as summer wore on the situation became so tenuous that team travel was banned.

From the late 1850s on, the community sought to Improve the harbor and channel. The nearly on-going work with the U.S. Engineers caused some to call for action on the bridge situation. Since the bridge was too low, it was decided to put a "draw" in it. When the harbor was ready, it was felt the bridge should be ready to permit vessels to travel the river at will. By 1899, the community - newly christened Algoma – was forced to completely construct a new 2^nd Street bridge. William Damas had the contract and began tearing down the bridge in May.

As with anything else, if there was something to go wrong, it did. Work was pushed back in October 1899 when the use of a steam pump was delayed. Without it, the center crib could not be pumped out and masons could not do their work. When the pump finally came from Sturgeon Bay so late in the season, the city said the work would be pushed until completed.

The 2nd Street iron bridge opened 10 years before this post card was send.
The building on the left is Gericke's Store. The dock is at the right of the store.

By mid-January 1900, the workforce had been increased, the heavy center piece was in place and the city said the work would be finished in a few weeks. Fortunately, the ice was thick enough to support heavy pieces of equipment and material, and time was saved. The U.S. Engineers were reconstructing the piers while the bridge work was going on, and dredgings from the pier work were used as fill near the bridge. Algoma’s premier contractor, Fred Wulf, did the masonry work while the J.G. Wagner Co. of Milwaukee built the actual bridge for a cost of $6,700.

When the iron bridge was replaced in 1949, the current bridge was a marvel. Algoma caught up with the big cities! Gone was the planking and the shaking as vehicles crossed the bridge. Gone was the fear of the little kids who could see the water through the planking and through the sides of the bridge, and gone was the long walk to the 4^th Street bridge for St. Mary’s kids who lived downtown.

Phyllis Kessler, Miss Wisconsin, was on hand for the bridge dedication on July 2, 1949. The event began at 7:15 PM with a few words from Frank Knipfer, Kewaunee County’s highway chairman at the time the building decision was made. Second Ward alderman Art Dettman represented the city in his short address. Dettman served as chairman of Algoma’s street and bridge committee. A county representative was there to give a report on the role of the county and state. After the speeches concluded, Miss Wisconsin was driven up to cut the ribbon, thus opening the bridge.

The parade that followed the official bridge opening  was led by the American Legion colors and color guard, followed by Miss Wisconsin, the AHS band, Legion drill team and, of course, the requisite convertibles carrying the speakers. Those who wished to join the parade were invited to do so.

The parade eventually arrived at the Dug-Out where Algoma High School band presented a one-hour concert on the lawn. That was followed by Algoma Hunting and Fishing Club’s annual dance. Royalty was in attendance at the dance as Miss Wisconsin remained for it

New construction brings tweaks and so did the bridge, but the tweak concerned downtown’s other bridge. The new bridge was higher and carried more cars than the 4^th Street bridge, which also needed work. Alderman Wenniger asked for a windbreak for the new bridge and after much discussion, the windbreak was approved. However, a windbreak was also approved for 4^th Street since many citizens would find it improper for one bridge to have such a feature and not the other.

* Ahnepee became Ahnapee in 1873 when the village was chartered. Its name changed to Algoma in 1897.

Sources: An-An-api-sebe: Where is the River?, c. 2001; Commercial Development in the Youngs and Steele Plat, c. 2006; Algoma Record Herald; doorcountydailynews.com.
Map: U.S. Engineers, August 1870

The postcard is in the blogger's collection. The snippet of the early bridge is from the 1883 Birdseye Map.