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By Mariel Carlisle
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The Friends of McGilvray Road, Inc. was incorporated in 1989. It was established to form a partnership with the DNR for the purpose of maintaining the Old McGilvray Road and the five remaining Horton bridges.
Nineteen ninety-seven marked the 100th anniversary of the patenting of Charles Horton’s bowstring arch truss bridges and the dedication of the restored and refurbished McGilvray roadway project.
The Friends can indeed be proud. In less than a decade, they saved some of the most beautiful iron bridges in the country and improved access into a priceless bottomland hardwood forest. Since their incorporation in 1989, the Friends have been innovative and creative in raising funds to repair a roadway and bridges that had been virtually destroyed by years of neglect and the ravages of countless Black River floods.
The Friends sold everything from buttons and caps to T-shirts and memberships. Their finest hour was recruiting two local nationally known wildlife artists, Arthur Anderson and Michael Klafke, to create a series of bridge/wildlife paintings. The edition prints sold out quickly and provided most of the funds for the very costly road and bridge repairs.
With the help of the Department of Natural Resources, through funding, personnel and equipment, the Friends completed most of the urgent and heavy-duty projects by winter 1996-97. Bridge #6 was raised from its twisted resting place on the bottom of the Black River, repaired, then lowered onto new pilings. Abutments and approaches were were constructed and the decking replaced. Dennis Grokowsky oversaw the casting and placement of countless pieces of metal. A remarkable feat had been accomplished.
The Bridge #5 site is the former location of the Wooden King Post Bridge which fell victim to the elements in 1986. In 1996 the Friends located a low truss iron bridge from Pierce County to take its place. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t cheap but Swanson’s Heavy Moving Company of La Crosse snaked it through the swamp then gently lowered it into place onto its' new supports as its' own supports were left in Pierce County. It was then painted orange and restored to its original condition. Hikers now had the ability to continue onto Bridge #6 and then to the Main Channel of the Black River.
Much has been done by the Friends to provide a "one-of-a-kind" outdoor recreation area for the people of the upper Midwest. Wooden planks have now replaced the concrete decking on all of the bridges, which will decrease the stress on the bridges. The trail is open to the banks of the Black River. But the work is not over. Seasonal high water may require some repairs and maintenance. An Endowment Fund has been established to help provide funding for such an event.
Nancy Hill has been the director of the organization from the beginning. A trusty handful of other board members who were there for the first meeting remain involved in the organization. Mariel Carlisle and D.A. Ferguson are actively involved in fund raising, Rick Staszewski documented the Bottoms with an extensive collection of photos and serves as Secretary. Karla Pierson managed and recorded the sale of the prints and is the Treasurer.
The non-profit organization accepts memberships at any time, distributes a newsletter, and published a book called The Historic McGilvray Bridges and The Friends who Saved Them, by retired DNR manager, Ray Kyro. See the Store page of this website for details as to how to purchase this item.
See Join the Friends for details on how to join the organization.