Eads Bridge

…contract for a steel triple-arch bridge over the river at St. Louis, which he began on Aug. 20, 1867. Its three spans, 502, 520, and 502 feet (152, 158, and 152 m), respectively, consisted of triangularly braced 18-inch (46-centimetre) hollow steel tubes linked in units and set in piers based…

The 1874 Eads Bridge was the first major bridge built entirely of steel, excluding the pier foundations. Designed by James Buchanan Eads, it has three arch spans, of which the two sides are each 151 meters (502 feet) and the middle is 156 meters (520 feet). The…

…and the building of the Eads Bridge (1874) across the river, the city developed as a transportation center. Nearby coal deposits also contributed to East St. Louis’s growth. Meatpacking became a major industry after the opening of the National Stock Yards (1873) in adjoining National City, and manufacturing industries began…

The Eads Bridge (1874; now a national historic landmark) connected the railroads across the Mississippi, and the city continued to be a major transportation hub. In 1904 the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (also known as the St. Louis World’s Fair) was held just west of the city…