Snowden Bridge, Railway bridge in Richland County, Montana, United States

Snowden Bridge is a railway and road crossing over the Missouri River that links two Montana communities. The structure consists of steel frameworks with a lifting mechanism that was once operational but is no longer in use.

The bridge was built in 1913 by the Montana Eastern Railway and was the longest of its kind in the world at that time. The lifting system was later removed as it became unnecessary.

The bridge stands as an early example of how engineers solved the challenge of crossing major rivers. Today it shows visitors the kind of industrial design that shaped rural America in the early 1900s.

You can approach the bridge from either side of the river, and the structure is visible from the surrounding land. Keep in mind this is located in a rural area and requires driving to reach.

The lift machinery was removed in 1943, after the span was last raised in 1935. A 1981 study called the shared one-way crossing "so dangerous that it [was] safe", since drivers were extraordinarily cautious. Vehicular traffic used it until 1985.