National Register Listing

West Antelope Bridge

a.k.a. Sheyenne River Bridge;32BE41

Across the Sheyenne River, unnamed co. rd., approximately 30 mi. SE of jct. of ND 30 and US 2, Flora, ND

In accordance with the guidelines established in the Multiple Property Documentation form for "Historic Roadway Bridges in North Dakota," the West Antelope Bridge is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places with local significance under Criteria "A" and "c." The bridge is significant under Criterion A for its association with an important pattern of bridge construction in a number of counties in the state, in which one or two bridge companies received most of the contracts over a successive period of years, even with, or under the pretense of, competitive bidding. This pattern emerged in the late nineteenth century and, in some counties, continued into the 1930s. This bridge serves as representative example of the pattern; it is the oldest documented bridge in Benson County constructed by a long-term county bridge builder, the Fargo Bridge & Iron Company. The bridge has local significance under Criterion C because it is the oldest documented bridge in the county.

County records indicate that on September 9, 1907, county commissioners awarded an $1100 contract to Fargo Bridge & Iron Company for construction of this bridge. Fargo Bridge & Iron was virtually responsible for all the metal trusses constructed in the county in the first two decades of the twentieth century. Fargo Bridge & Iron was easily the largest bridge contractor in North Dakota during the first two decades of the twentieth century, and was especially prominent among firms working in the eastern and southern reaches of the state. Well over fifty historic Fargo Bridge & Iron bridges are believed to survive in the state.

Local significance of the structure:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1997.