Bridges at the Foot of the Rapids
BRIDGES AT THE FOOT OF THE RAPIDS is the first fully-researched, fully-documented, illustrated history of the fords, ferries, and bridges spanning the Maumee River between Maumee and Perrysburg, Ohio.
Content includes History of Foot of the Rapids crossings, structures and events from prehistoric Native American Indian times to the dedication and opening of the 2002 Fort Meigs Memorial Bridge; Historical photographs and sketches of the vehicular, rail and interurban railway bridges; historical photographs of the ice gorges and floods of the Maumee River; many first-time published photos from local historical collections; Historical sketches and biographies of 1839, 1843 and 1849 toll bridge Owners; Descriptions and sketches of the various bridges' design, construction and demolition including the first published description of the 1849 bridge; Extracted plans, sections and details from construction drawings of the 1929 and 2002 Fort Meigs Memorial Bridges; and Historical newspaper articles from 1839 to 2002.
This book contains more than 500 full-color photographs of the 2002 Fort Meigs Memorial Bridge construction and 1929 Fort Meigs Memorial Bridge demolition.
About Gary L. Franks (Toledo, Ohio Author)
Gary grew up in South Toledo, attending Harvard Elementary and Libbey High Schools, graduating in 1962. He earned a bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Toledo University in 1968 while working as a lab technician and engineer-in-training at Surface Combustion Corporation. In 1972 he joined SSOE, Inc. Engineers - Architects and was elected a partner in the firm in 1981. As a registered professional engineer (now retired) in 14 states, Gary worked as Industrial Division Manager and Director of Computer and Information Systems and managed business accounts for major customers such as Owens-Illinois, Union Carbide, Boeing, and General Mills. Historic Perrysburg, Inc. honored Gary in 2016 by naming him the recipient of the Bentley Award in recognition of his contributions to the history of Perrysburg and surrounding area. He is a member of the Ohio Historical Society, Historic Perrysburg, Inc., Museum of the Great lakes, Wood County (OH) Genealogical Society, and is a founding member of the Perrysburg Area Historic Museum.
