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Hjalmer Nelson Memorial Highway Bridge under construction near Cartwright, N.D.
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| Title | Hjalmer Nelson Memorial Highway Bridge under construction near Cartwright, N.D. |
| Date of Original | 1955-08-14 |
| Creator | Shemorry, Bill, 1914-2004
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| Creator Role | Photographer |
| Description | View looking down the Yellowstone River at the Hjalmer Nelson Memorial Highway Bridge under construction near Cartwright, N.D. This picture was probably taken from the Fairview Railroad Bridge, where automobile traffic ceased and the planking was removed on the Fairview Railroad Bridge once construction of the Hjalmer Nelson Memorial Highway Bridge was completed in 1956. |
| General Subject | Transportation
Water
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| Subject (LCTGM) | Water
Bridges
Rivers
Construction
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| Location | Cartwright (N.D.)
Fairview (Mont.)
Yellowstone River
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| Decade | 1950-1959
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| Item Number | 1-44-13-32 |
| Negative Number | 1-44-13-32 |
| Format of Original | Film negatives
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| Dimensions of Original | 10 x 13 cm. |
| Transcription | "Fairview Bridges 8-14-55, East end of Bridge & Cars, showing tunnel entrance, gate of W. end, Bridge & RR tracks from W. end, Nelson Bridge under construction, the old and the new, Bill Koaremson teacher at Indian Hill School at gate." -- Handwritten on envelope holding negatives. |
| Notes | Title created by staff. |
| Biography/History | William E. "Bill" Shemorry was a native of Williston, N.D. who began work in the newspaper industry as a newsboy selling the Williston Herald and the Williams County Farmers Press. In 1953, he started to publish the Williston Plains Reporter, which he operated for 25 years before selling to the Williston Herald. Shemorry then began to concentrate on his own writing and photography. In addition to writing many books on the history of Williams County, he also collected photographs of early North Dakota photographers. Shemorry was an active member of the Williston Fire Department, was Civil Defense Chief of Williams County for three years in the 1950's, and was a combat photographer in World War II. Shemorry's photograph of the discovery of oil in North Dakota on April 4, 1951 at the Clarence Iverson No. 1 is one of the most famous oil photographs ever taken, and was published in many national publications.
The Fairview Lift Bridge is located across the North Dakota border 3.5 miles east of Fairview and two miles west of Cartwright, ND. It was constructed as part of an ambitious plan by Great Northern Railroad for its never-completed Montana Eastern Railway.
The Fairview Lift Bridge constructed by Gerrick & Gerrick stretches 1, 320 feet across the Yellowstone River. In its earlier days, the Fairview Lift Bridge not only accommodated rail traffic, but also vehicular traffic. Planking was placed between and outside the rails to accommodate automobiles. According to Hufstetler, a watchman was stationed at the bridge to prevent trains and automobiles from colliding. He wrote that Great Northern charged a toll for cars using the bridge until the state highway department assumed responsibility in 1937. Automobile traffic ceased and the planking was removed once construction of the Hjalmer Nelson Memorial Highway Bridge was completed in 1956. Passenger rail service on the line ended in the late 1950s and the last freight rail service to cross the bridge was on June 5, 1986.
While now closed to both rail and vehicular traffic, the Fairview Lift Bridge adjoins the only tunnel in North Dakota, the Cartwright Tunnel. The 1, 458-foot long tunnel was built in 1912 and 1913. Most of the digging was done by hand, although horse and mule-drawn scrapers and blasting powder were used in building the approaches.
In 1997, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Being that both the Cartwright Tunnel and Fairview Lift Bridge remain structurally sound, the Fairview Chamber of Commerce has developed them into a walking trail. |
| Bibliographic Reference | Information in the History found online at : http://www.midrivers.com/~fairview/bridges.html |
| Repository Institution | State Historical Society of North Dakota
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| Repository Collection | William E. (Bill) Shemorry Photograph Collection 1
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| Credit Line | State Historical Society of North Dakota, William E. (Bill) Shemorry Photograph Collection (1-44-13-32) |
| Rights Management | Permission to reproduce this image must be requested from the State Historical Society of North Dakota. |
| Ordering Information | To order a reproduction, inquire about the collection, or provide information about an image, please email Emily E. Schultz at eschultz@nd.gov |
| Digital ID | ws1441332 |
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