Mighty rivers require mighty bridges and several impressive examples have spanned the North Dakota stretch of the Missouri River. The river valley near the former town of Sanish has been home to several. First, the Verendrye Bridge, a steel truss bridge completed in 1927, crossed the Missouri at Sanish. In 1934, the first bridge to be known as Four Bears Bridge was built downstream near the town of Elbowoods. They served North Dakota dependably through the thirties and forties.
In 1947, construction began on the Garrison Dam project, one of the last of the big water projects. When complete, it would flood the Missouri River Valley and create the reservoir we know today as Lake Sakakawea. The lake would flood the town sites of Sanish, Elbowoods, and Van Hook, plus it would leave both the Verendrye and Four Bears Bridges underwater. A much taller, much longer bridge was required.
The Verendrye Bridge was demolished, but the center span of the Four Bears Bridge at Elbowoods was dismantled and floated forty miles upstream to be erected atop taller piers near Sanish, creating a new Four Bears Bridge, almost a mile long, and spanning Lake Sakakawea. That is the version of the Four Bears Bridge depicted here. It was replaced in 2006 by a new, modern Four Bears Bridge, making it the third bridge to wear the name.
We’ve long been fascinated by the legacy of these long gone places, specifically because their physical presence has been erased. Not long ago, we put out a call for photos, and we got a response from a native-born North Dakotan that included all of the incredible photos you see here.
These photos were contributed by Staci Roe after she ran across them by chance some years ago.
When I lived in Broken Bow, NE we had a twice yearly hospital rummage sale which I volunteered for. One of those years a box of belongings for Marvin L Knapp was donated to the sale. As one of the volunteers proceeded to throw it away I told her to wait.
Staci saved the photos you see here — photos of the construction of the footings for the Four Bears Bridge at Sanish. We don’t know much about Mr. Knapp (he was an Army man, his nickname was Shorty, he was stationed in Sanish for a time) and although we believe he took these photos, we can’t say for certain. They were taken in 1948 or 1949.
Considering the quality of the photos and the historic value of the collection, it’s scary to imagine how close they came to going into a trash can.
Above: The Verendrye Bridge spans the Missouri River.
Above and below: views of the future site of Four Bears Bridge, from opposing sides of the river.
Construction begins on the first footing. Eventually the entire river bottom you see here would become the bottom of Lake Sakakawea, with only the bluffs in the background still above water.
The identities of the men in these photos is unknown, but look at that crew… this photographer caught a perfect group shot that reminds us a lot of the New York Construction Workers Lunching on a Crossbeam photo from 1932. Can you identify any of the men in these photos? Please leave a comment, or contact us.
Another fantastic shot of unidentified workers by an unknown photographer.
What a great shot… workers suspended in mid-air, and look at all those incredible vintage automobiles. Awesome.
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Above: The first pier is nearly complete. Below: a second pier goes up.
Above and below: you can see the beginnings of a third pier, and off in the distance, piers begin going into the Missouri River bottom.
We visited the Sanish area in 2005, and we snapped a photo of this bridge with the new Four Bears Bridge under construction directly adjacent. This bridge was knocked down in a controlled demolition in 2005, captured excellently here.
Roads had to be built both for future traffic, and to help the construction crews reach the site.
Eventually, long sections of bridge were built to close the gaps between the neighboring bluffs and the new piers which would support the center span of the Four Bears Bridge.
Above: The completed Four Bears Bridge accommodates the rising waters of Lake Sakakawea.
Photos submitted by Staci Roe, photographer unknown
Ghosts of North Dakota 
These are awesome! What a great find! Thanks for sharing.
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Fortunate find indeed!! thank you to your contributor.. This is how so many pictures are lost as they have no value to someone else. and they are indeed treasures. thank you for doing what you do., it is a labor of love and hopefully some profit.
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Thanks for saving these pictures, and thanks to those who assembled this post as well.
One thought on the “vintage” autos pictured. For the times they were pretty darn new. So, what is really being shown there is how public works and infrastructure projects directly go into the economy as the specialized work pays well and the payroll goes into the economy.
In that line, for the latest Four Bears Bridge, I was honored to be on the ribbon-cutting day (and my then-girlfriend, Laura Boeringa, and I may have been the first couple to bicycle across and back on the bridge, ever!) – a very affirming day, with plenty of sunshine. The Bismarck Tribune featured several articles about the newest Four Bears, not just about the design. The Tribune also interviewed at least one Native American woman who had learned bridge-building, and had worked on the new bridge. She was quite proud of her hard-working ethic and her specialized skills which would serve her well, she hoped, for future construction projects.
If I ever find my photos of that day of the grand opening, I’ll forward them. Thanks for this great coverage of an important topic.
Xavi
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Awesome job with narrating and organizing the photos!
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Excellent photos and captions. Thanks for doing this.
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Thank You, Staci!!!!! Thank You, staff, for putting these together on the site. Wonderfully done photography for the day and the photo equipment that was available at the time. Thank You, again, for a wonderful web site.
Lynn Mickelson
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These are tremendous photos. I researched the first and second Four Bears Bridges for five years and didn’t see these images. They’re great. They also tell a lot about the land that was flooded (taken) by The Army Corps of Engineers. The large and prosperous Miller Ranch at the base of the bluffs on the east side is visible in some photos.
The Elbowoods Four Bears Bridge was dismantled, floated to trucks, hauled to Sanish, placed on barges again and floated in to place. Meanwhile, a few hundred yards north, the Verendrye Bridge carried traffic. Why the extreme cost of moving a bridge 50 miles when one stood just yards away? Easy, the Federal Government paid for it. The original placement of the Elbowoods bridge was Federal land on both ends. The Verendrye Bridge connected federal land on only one end. So, Uncle Sam footed the bill rather than forcing local governments to pay for it.
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great pictures and what a history of the great state of North Dakota Thank you all for all your wonderful stories and pictures.
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My grandfather Art Seastrand worked on the Max & Sanish railroad and my uncle Rev. David Larson pastored in Sanish.
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Hello, I am wondering when your uncle David Larson was pastor in the Sanish area? I am looking for history on the little church south of Sanish called Grand Valley Lutheran Church.
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Hi Pam, Noticed your post, I think all past information is kept at Bethel Lutheran Church in town, some additional information on the Grand Valley Church, My folks mentioned a Rev. Tande, he maybe was there when I was very young. Rev. Gilbertson was our pastor during our young days and confirmation. I don’t remember what year our members moved to town for services. think it was in the late 60’s, After Rev. Gilbertson moved to Bismarck, Rev. Loken was our Pastor in New Town up into the early 70’s If I remember correctly
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Was the Verendrye Bridge pictured toward the beginning of the pix the bridge that Four Bears replaced? I am interested because I have pix of a bridge that my dad traveled across back in 1929. I always assumed it was the one crossing the Missouri in Bismarck. But it looks quite a bit like this one.
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Great photos. My Aunt and her Family lived in New Town. I think they were from Sanish and had to be relocated. We (as adults) loved to go to “Crow Fly’s High” and take pictures of the bridge and Lake, and of course, that was the only was to get to Four Bears Casino!
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My folks had a cafe in Newtown when the bridge was being constructed called Pearl’s Chicken Shack or Newtown Cafe circa 1952. I went to school in Spanish but lived in Newtown while it was still being built. We hauled water in the tall cream cans for the restaurant as the water system had not been completed. The relocated pool hall from Van Hook was located next door and ran by Adolph Stefan. I was out to the bridge site on a couple of occasions. The restaurant helped feed the construction workers working on both the town construction and the bridge construction. The city water tower was being constructed while the cafe was operating. I remember the steel building that housed the movie theater.
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very interesting Terry.. would you have any photos of your folks café? or photos of new town during that time?.. would like to see them.
Angel
awhitehorse01@yahoo.com
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Our father, Thomas Kinter, was an engineer for Massman Construction Co. on the new bridge built to replace the one that was to disappear under the Garrison Dam floodwaters. Although I was a small boy during our residency in Sanish, my memories of the tiny town, the grain silos and the surrounding prairie are vivid. I recall the school and our first grade class sharing a classroom with the second graders, who taught us to write numerals on the black board. And I can’t forget the wonderful, gritty Sanish rodeo and riding horses on the Goodall and Keogh ranches. Great recollections for a six-year-old-boy.
Tim Kinter, Boise, ID
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I’m sharing this story on my blog, The Bridgehunter’s Chronicles. A great story and it was a miracle that Stacy Roe saved those pictures to allow Troy to share the story about it. I visited the Four Bears Crossing in 1999 and wondered about its history. Great photos and write-up. ❤️😊
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Reblogged this on The Bridgehunter's Chronicles and commented:
This next story brings back memories of way back. In 1999 I visited the Four Bears Crossing with a friend of mine who lived in Minot at that time. The cantilever truss span provided a unique natural setting, especially at sundown when I took some pictures of the bridge. Yet I wondered how the structure was built given its location. Fast forward some years later, we enter two people into the mix: Troy Larson, who wrote this story about the bridge, and Staci Roe who found a box of photos of the construction of the Four Bears Crossing while at a rummage sale. Put the two together and you find a mammoth of a story of how this bridge and the reservoir it spanned were created. More on this you can read here. 🌉😊
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