Dutch Flats Airport

On this site, which was the Dutch Flats Airport, Charles A. Lindbergh made the first flight of his Spirit of St. Louis airplane, constructed in 60 days by dedicated employees of Ryan Airlines, Inc. The 20-minute flight on 28 April 1927 was witnessed by those who built the aircraft. Lindbergh describes the flight:

“This morning I’m going to test the Sprit of St. Louis. It’s the 28th of April (1927)—just over two months since I placed our order with the Ryan Company, and exactly sixty days since business formalities were completed and work on the plane began. What a beautiful machine it is, resting there on the field in front of the hanger, trim and slender, gleaming in its silver coat! All our ideas, all our calculations, all our hopes lie there before me, waiting to undergo the acid test of flight. For me it seems to contain the whole future of aviation"

Several years prior to World War II, the name of the Dutch Flats Airport was changed to the Speers Airport. The airport was inoperative during WWII, and the government converted the land to military housing facilities. Early in 1970, the government made plans to construct a San Diego Post Office on the corner of Barnett Avenue and Midway Drive (now a paved road). The post office was opened for business in March 1972, and continues to operate there today.

Missouri River Bridge

Taiyuan Pai — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:03:21 +0000

Missouri River Bridge

Mon, 08/13/2012 - 14:03

Society

Main Category

Sub Category

Era

Date Created

Location Country

Coordinates

43.810004, -99.329853

City

Chamberlain

State

Country

USA

Zip

57325

Website

http://www.asce.org/Project/Missouri-River-Bridges/

Creator

Kirkham, John Edward

The Chamberlain is the only surviving bridge of the original five. The others were replaced as the river rose due to flood control dams put in place over time.

For its first 30 years of statehood, South Dakota was effectively two states. The Missouri river cut across the land forming a barrier to economical development in the west. Conventional wisdom at the time estimated the cost of permanent bridges across the Missouri at $1 million apiece. But budding engineer John Edward Kirkham, through the strict application of a classic principle of bridge design, built five steel and concrete truss bridges for $2 million total.

Kirkham knew that bridges can be built least expensively when the cost of the foundations equals the cost of the superstructure minus the floor system. For example, if longer piers were required due to soil conditions, he would lengthen trusses to reduce the cost of the superstructure and offset the increased cost of the foundation.

The Chamberlain, Wheeler, Mobridge, Pierre and Forest City bridges were simple, elegant structures that played a big role in South Dakota's early growth.

Facts

Prior to 1920, the only permanent Missouri River crossings in South Dakota were railroad bridges. Other travelers used ferries or pontoon bridges, both of which were inaccessible in winter.
Kirkham predicted that the Mobridge bridge would carry traffic for 500 years. It might have if not for four dams built in the 1940s that widened the river, necessitating the replacement of the bridge.
The Chamberlain is the only surviving bridge of the five. The others were replaced as the river expanded due to flood control dams.
The success of Kirkham's cost equation was due in part to a lack of overlapping regulatory requirements that often increase construction costs today.
Kirkham made several other engineering contributions to South Dakota's development: new box culverts, concrete viaducts and "tar-wood floors" that reduced weight and cost on smaller South Dakota bridges.