Rock Island Swing Bridge

Rock Island Swing Bridge is a railway and toll crossing that spans the Mississippi River between Inver Grove Heights and St. Paul Park with a double-deck structure. The upper level carried train traffic while the lower deck accommodated vehicle passage across the river.

Pittsburgh Bridge Company built this structure in 1895 to link stockyards in South St. Paul with main rail lines in the area. The crossing remained operational until structural issues forced its permanent closure in 1999.

The bridge gained notoriety when John Dillinger reportedly used it as an escape route during his encounters with law enforcement in the 1930s.

The bridge required operators to coordinate train schedules with vehicle traffic and riverboat passages due to its swing mechanism. Today the structure remains closed to public use and is viewable only from a distance.

Horses powered the manual swing mechanism until the 1950s, with a 400-foot section rotating to allow river traffic through. This unusual method remained in daily use long after mechanical alternatives became available elsewhere.

Location: Inver Grove Heights

Location: St. Paul Park

Official opening: 1895

GPS coordinates: 44.85330,-93.00890

Latest update: December 12, 2025 07:52