♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] The River Bluff Scenic Byway offers travelers the chance to explore a piece of national history in a very local way.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] A mainstay attraction for community and commerce in Elkader, Iowa is the city's keystone arch bridge.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] This unique structure got its start in 1889.

But it was not the original bridge to span the Turkey River in the Clayton County seat.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Three bridges, two made of wood and one of iron, helped travelers get to downtown Elkader.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] As they aged out, the county sought a longer term and structurally superior solution for crossing the Turkey River.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] In 1888, county supervisors decided a permanent stone bridge would be a better investment than another iron bridge that required annual maintenance.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] A Dubuque company was hired to construct the new bridge with locally quarried limestone at a total cost of just over $16,000.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] The structure measures 346 feet long, making Elkader's keystone bridge one of the longest double-arched bridges west of the Mississippi River.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] The bridge made its way onto the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

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