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Old Man River Series: Towboat LbNA #23743 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jul 14, 2006
Location:
City:Rock Island
County:Rock Island
State:Illinois
Boxes:1
Found by: tat2bob and kimberly
Last found:Jan 1, 2010
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Jul 14, 2006
This box has a hand carved stamp, bring your own stamp pad.

This box is located on The Rock Island Arsenal. To get there from Iowa, go across the Arsenal Bridge. You can either go to the right and park by the little park or you can go left through the guard shack and park in the parking lot for the visitor center on the left.
From Rock Island, you’ll have to go through the guard shack by the bridge to be able to park in the lot, or to get turned around to park by the little park.

To visit the visitor center, you have to drive through the guard shack and park in the lot. I suggest taking time to visit this interesting place that’s all about the River and the lock and dam system and barge traffic. It’s very interesting. However, if you park on the street next to the little park, you can still walk down under the Arsenal Bridge, and that’s the focus I wanted to bring you to.

The Arsenal Bridge was built in 1896, so it’s 110 years old. It’s the only swing span bridge left in the world that still accommodates auto, train, boat and pedestrian traffic. There’s also a massive supply of power crossing over the bridge via the power lines over the very top. The road bed at one time was a trolley track and the railroad bed above it was built so the trains wouldn’t scare the horses.

Take a walk under the bridge and check out the mechanics. Other than the addition of hydraulics and some electronics, this bridge still runs the way it did 110 years ago. I hope you’re lucky enough to be here when a barge passes through and you get to see the bridge open. It’s worth waiting to see.

To find the letterbox: Go to Fort Armstrong in the little park. Find the cornerstone and read the dates. The box is hidden on the 1916 side. Sit on the railroad tie steps and reach behind and to your left, under the step.

Please be discreet as this is a Government Island and even though this park is civilian, I don’t know how they would feel about letterboxing. I took a chance because I think everyone should take time to notice the Arsenal Bridge, and not just drive over it.