M-28–Tahquamenon River Bridge
bridge in United States of America
The M-28–Tahquamenon River Bridge is a bridge located on M-28 over the Tahquamenon River in Chippewa Township, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1999.
History
In 1926, the Michigan State Highway Department (MSHD) improved M-28, by adding several miles of gravel roads and replacing some bridges, including this one over the Tahquamenon River. The department designed the bridge and solicited bids for its constructions. Walter Toebe and Company of Shingleton was awarded the contract to construct the bridge, and built it in 1926 for a cost of $24,286.08. It was listed on the NRHP on November 30, 1999.
Historic context
The MSHD standardized the designs of steel stringer bridges in 1905–06 and plate girder bridges in 1907–08. However, it was not until 1926, the year this bridge was built, that the department began encasing the steel girder webs in concrete. Why they did so is not entirely clear, and indeed the department abandoned the practice of encasing interior girders soon after. However, they continued encasing the exterior beams in concrete, and continued using the concrete balusters pioneered with this bridge design, and this bridge can be considered a prototype for numerous, similar bridges built by the department in the next decade.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “M-28–Tahquamenon River Bridge” as bridge in United States of America. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as bridge in United States of America. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6711988. Authority coordinates are 46.346, -84.959. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1999, 1926, 1905 and 1907.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “M-28–Tahquamenon River Bridge”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow M-28–Tahquamenon River Bridge primary sources, M-28–Tahquamenon River Bridge archive and M-28 research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “M-28–Tahquamenon River Bridge” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.