Item Detail
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23221
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1
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0
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English
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Crossing the North Platte River : A Brief History of "Reshaw's" Bridge--1852-1866
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Annals of Wyoming : The Wyoming History Journal
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Summer 2002
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74
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no.3
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25-40
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In 1847, Mormons established a commercial ferry on the North Platte River at present-day Casper, Wyoming. In 1849, the first bridge to span the North Platte was built at Deer Creek (near present-day Glenrock, Wyoming). After that bridge washed away in the spring runoff in 1850, John Baptiste Richard began building a second bridge a few miles west of Deer Creek. This bridge was completed in 1851, but high waters washed it away the following year. Richard built a sturdier bridge just upstream from the 1847 Mormon ferry in 1853. The history of this bridge is reviewed in detail. The author notes activity near the bridge during the Grattan Massacre and the Utah War.