Four Bears Bridge
Encyclopedia
Four Bears Bridge is one of two bridges built over the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...

 on the Fort Berthold Reservation
Fort Berthold Reservation
The Fort Berthold Indian Reservation is a U.S. Indian reservation in western North Dakota that is home for the federally recognized Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes...

 in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

. The current bridge which opened in 2005 is the second largest bridge in the state and replaces an earlier bridge built in 1955. The 1955 bridge replaced an even earlier bridge known as the Verendrye Bridge after the first European explorer to visit present day North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

.

One worker was killed and three were injured when a portion of the new bridge collapsed during construction on November 30, 2004.

The current bridge is decorated with medallions reflecting the heritage of the Three Affiliated Tribes, the Mandan, Arikara
Arikara
Arikara are a group of Native Americans in North Dakota...

 and Hidatsa
Hidatsa
The Hidatsa are a Siouan people, a part of the Three Affiliated Tribes. The Hidatsa's autonym is Hiraacá. According to the tribal tradition, the word hiraacá derives from the word "willow"; however, the etymology is not transparent and the similarity to mirahací ‘willows’ inconclusive...

 who inhabit the reservation. The bridge is named for two chiefs, one Mandan and one Hidatsa and both named Four Bears.

The bridge opened to traffic on September 2, 2005, at around 10:00 a.m. local timehttp://www.willistonherald.com/articles/2005/09/02/news/news4.txt. An official opening ceremony was held on October 3, 2005.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK