Summary Information
Friends of McGilvray Road, La Crosse County, Wisconsin, Records
1975-2009
- Friends of McGilvray Road (La Crosse County, Wis.)
La Crosse Mss CS; PH La Crosse Mss CS
2.0 c.f. (5 archives boxes), 154 photographs (1 archives box), and 2 transparencies and 6 negatives on 2 negative strips (1 folder)
UW-La Crosse Murphy Library / La Crosse Area Research Ctr. (Map)Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of Friends of McGilvray Road, a private non-profit organization. In conjunction with the Department of Natural Resources, the group is responsible for repairing, preserving and maintaining McGilvray Road (also known as the Seven Bridges Road) and its historic bridges, located in the Van Loon Wildlife Area, which is also known as McGilvray Bottoms. The records contain formal agreements between the Friends and other organizations, articles of incorporation, bylaws, a membership list, meeting agenda and minutes, financial reports, background information, newsletters, magazine and newspaper articles, correspondence, grant files, and publicity and fundraising materials. In addition, the records contain three manuscripts written by Ray Kyro and corresponding research notes. Information related to the McGilvray Road print series is also included.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-lx00cs ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
McGilvray Road, also known as the Seven Bridges Road, is named for Alexander McGilvray who settled in northwestern La Crosse County in 1853 and established a ferry service in the area in 1854. Due to the frequency of log jams and their interference with the ferry service, wooden bridges were constructed in 1892.
Between 1905 and 1908, the La Crosse Bridge and Steel Company was hired to build five bowstring arch and truss bridges to replace the wooden bridges which had been damaged by flooding. These new bridges utilized the patented design of La Crosse resident Charles Horton. Instead of using bolts and rivets, believing these to cause undue stress on the structure, Horton used hook-clips, sleeves, hangers, and socket-supporters as fastening devices on the bridges.
These bridges were damaged in the 1970s by more flooding. In 1975, ownership of the bridges was transferred from the Town of Holland to the Wisconsin DNR. The six remaining bridges were all of the bowstring variety except for one kingpost. In 1985 an engineering firm hired by the DNR declared the six bridges unsafe even for pedestrian traffic and in 1989 the remaining bridges were threatened with demolition.
The Preservation Alliance of La Crosse began an effort to stop the destruction of the bridges. The Preservation Alliance received help from individuals such as State Representative Virgil Roberts and State Senator Brian Rude and organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Originally a sub-committee of the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse, the Friends of McGilvray Road worked with the Department of Natural Resources to become a DNR “Friends” organization. In 1989, the Friends of McGilvray Road filed its articles of incorporation and established its bylaws, becoming independent of the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse.
In conjunction with the Department of Natural Resources, the Friends of McGilvray Road group is responsible for restoring, preserving, and maintaining McGilvray Road and its bridges. The Friends group raised funds through the sale of limited edition art prints featuring scenes along McGilvray road. The group received the 1990 Hometown Pride Award (sponsored by Midwest Living Magazine), the 1997 Preservation Alliance of La Crosse Heritage Award, a 1998 Historic Preservation Award by the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation, and a grant from the Dayton-Hudson Corporation.
The McGilvray Road bridges officially reopened on September 13, 1997. The bridges are a designated La Crosse County Historic Site and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The road's bridges comprise five of the seven extant bowstring arch truss bridges in Wisconsin and are believed to be the only existing bridges built using Horton's patented design.
Scope and Content Note
The records of the Friends of McGilvray Road are arranged alphabetically by subject and document type. Although there is some documentation dating back to the transfer of ownership of the bridges to the DNR in 1975, the bulk of the records date from 1989-2005. Also included are research materials dating from 1897-1946. These materials document the efforts of the Friends to save the bridges from the proposed demolition and their ongoing efforts to preserve the bridges. The correspondence primarily reflects the Friends' relationship and dealings with the DNR and the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse. In addition to correspondence, there are incorporation papers, minutes, news clippings, background papers and articles, and publicity and fundraising materials. The publicity and fundraising materials include records related to the McGilvray Road print series, and three manuscripts written by Ray Kyro. Kyro's manuscript's, The Historic McGilvray Road and the Friends Who Saved Them, The McGilvray Road and Bridges Guide, and Wisconsin's Bridges to the Past, detail the history of the McGilvray Road bridges and discuss the Van Loon Wildlife Area. Also included are maps of the area and a run of Horton's Clips (1990-1999), a monthly newsletter distributed by the Friends and detailing their activities.
The photographs, transparencies, and negatives which depict the bridges and various activities conducted by the Friends to promote awareness of the bridges were copied. The copies reside with the records; the originals are in the Visual Materials Archive at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Nancy Hill, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 2000 and 2009. Accession Number: M2000-185, M2010-170
Processed by Olivia Wendt (kk), 2000 and Sam Boss (kk), 2010.
Contents List
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La Crosse Mss CS
Box
1
Folder
1
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Articles of incorporation and by-laws, 1989
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Awards and certificates
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Box
1
Folder
3-6
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Background papers and articles
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Books
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A Black River Adventure
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Box
4
Folder
10
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Grants and agreement, 1997
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Box
4
Folder
11
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Publishing information, 1997
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Box
4
Folder
12
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Distribution, 2001-2002
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Box
4
Folder
13
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Manuscript
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Box
4
Folder
14
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The Historic McGilvray Road and the Friends Who Saved Them, 1997
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Box
4
Folder
15
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The McGilvray Road and Bridges Guide
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Wisconsin's Bridges to the Past
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Box
5
Folder
1-24
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Manuscript, 2008-2009
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Box
5
Folder
25-37
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Research notes
- Book project research, 1986-1987
- Van Loon Wildlife Project
- Bridge history, 1987-2005
- Bridge inspection report, 1997
- Bridge research, 1984-2007
- Charles Horton: bridge patent, 1897
- DNR reports, 1985-1989
- Friends of McGilvray Road, 1989-1997
- La Crosse County Historical Society, 1980-1985
- National Register of Historic Places, 1979-1980
- Paper on bridge, 2005
- Ray Kyro, 1989-1997
- William S. Taylor historical information, 1946-1951
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Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
7
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General, 1975-2001
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Department of Natural Resources, 1985-1999
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Internal, 1989-2000
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Pierson, Karla, 2000-2002
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Rude, Brian D., Senator, 1989-2000
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Box
1
Folder
12
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SHSW Division of Historic Preservation, 1989-1997
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Department of Natural Resources, 1987-1989
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Financial
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Box
3
Folder
13-14
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Account statements, 1993-1997
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Box
3
Folder
15
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Bridge and parking lot expenses, 1997
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Box
3
Folder
16
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Domain Registration, 2000
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Expenses: receipts and invoices, 1996-1998
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Box
4
Folder
2
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Financial reports, 1989-1992
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Box
4
Folder
9
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Invoicing records for gallery, 1998
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Fundraising
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Whitetails, 1991
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Wood Ducks, 1991
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Bandits, 1993
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Pheasants, 1993
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Kingpost, 1994
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Legacy, 1996
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Grand opening, 1997
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Grant applications
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Horton's Clips newsletter, 1990-2004
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Maps, 1990-1995
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Membership and contacts
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Box
2
Folder
5-9
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Minutes and agenda, 1989-2000
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Box
2
Folder
10
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News clippings and letters to the editor, 1980-1999
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Box
2
Folder
11
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Notes
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Box
2
Folder
12
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Patents
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Box
2
Folder
13
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Petitions
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Box
2
Folder
14
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Preservation Alliance of La Crosse, 1976-1989
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Photographs (copies), circa 1950, 1990-1997
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Publicity and fundraising
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Box
3
Folder
2-3
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General
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Print 4: Schedule
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Print 6: Certificate
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Print 7: Certificate and release, 1997
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Print 8: Release and reception, 1998
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Prints on cards
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Print release invitations, 1996-1997
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Reports
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Box
3
Folder
10
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Palzkill report, 1991
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Box
3
Folder
11
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Historic American Engineering Record (HAER No. W-22), 1897-2009
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Resolutions
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PH La Crosse Mss CS
Box/Folder
1/1-2
Item
1-38
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Mrs. Oktoberfest award, 1989-1990
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Box/Folder
1/3
Item
39-40
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Hometown Pride award, 1990
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Seasonal views of bridges
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Box/Folder
1/4
Item
41-48
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Winter, 1996-1997
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Box/Folder
1/5
Item
49-56
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Spring, 1997
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Box/Folder
1/6
Item
57-62
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Summer, 1997
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Box/Folder
1/7
Item
63-80
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Miscellaneous views of bridges
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Box/Folder
1/8
Item
81-91
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C.T. Hwy “XA” bridges
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Box/Folder
1/9
Item
92
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Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation award, 1998
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Transparencies
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Cold Storage
Item
93-94
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Artwork associated with McGilvray Road
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Cold Storage
Item
95-96
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Artwork and artists associated with McGilvray Road
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Photo album, undated
27 items
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Art prints, pheasants and wood ducks
4 items
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Box
1
Folder
12
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Wisconsin's Bridges to the Past, 2008-2009
20 items
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Box
1
Folder
13
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McGilvray Road and Bridge Guide, undated
11 items
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