Kilbourn City

The first bridge on this site, a wooden structure, was completed in 1857. Byron Kilbourn, land speculator and politician promoted the site. Through his influence the LaCrosse and Milwaukee Railroad crossed the river here instead of at Newport, 2 miles downstream. Newport quickly became a ghost town. <br><br> Not a modest man, Kilbourn had the city named after him. Kilbourn City retained that name until 1931 when the townspeople renamed it Wisconsin Dells, more in keeping with the scenic river beauty here. <br><br> The original wooden bridge burned in 1866 and was immediately replaced. The second wooden bridge was replaced by an iron bridge in 1877 and by this railroad bridge in 1902. <br><br> In 1955, almost 100 years after the original bridge was built, the lower roadway was abandoned in favor of the modern structure which today carries highway traffic over the Wisconsin River.