Portage Lake Bridge Number 2 (1 of 2)

This bridge, the second at this location, was of steel and built in 1895 to accommodate street, pedestrian, and streetcar traffic on the upper level with the railroads using the lower level. This photo taken from Mt. Ripley area shows West Houghton and Michigan Highway M-26 heading up the hill on the far right. This bridge was struck by a steamer in April of 1905 and the turning span was wrecked, closing the entire structure for a time. The railroads affected were the Mineral Range Railroad and the Copper Range Railroad as well at the Houghton County Traction Company streetcars. Electronic reproduction of photograph from The Bridges of Houghton County.