A pictorial history of the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River and its three successors by Curtis C. Roseman http://www.riveraction.org/bridgehistory
Interesting story! Now I know why LeClaire received its name. But am curious about why the the need for a "bridge superintendent", as the first two wooden bridge efforts, neither could be opened. And having his home on the bridge pier is also interesting.
Bridgeport’s Chicago & Alton Railroad Bridge by Patrick McBriarty https://forgottenchicago.com/articles/bridgeports-chicago-alton-railroad-bridge/ https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=illinois/chicagoaltonrr/
For motorcar/speeders only at this time. Several pieces of motive power, unfortunately all inoperable at the present time. That will change, though!
American railroad bridges 1889 byCooper, Theodore, 1839-1919 https://archive.org/details/americanrailroad00coop/page/n1/mode/2up?q=railroad+bridges
Whenever I see photos of Chicago area bascule bridges, I'm reminded of the laker Medusa Challenger, built in the early 1900s and still operating as a cement hauler into the 1970s. Its simple presence was legendary for mechanical and electrical failures of Chicago River bridge mechanisms which would tie up downtown traffic for hours. When I was a kid, it was always a treat to wait on the sidewalk and watch these bridges operate.