Three-panel historical marker on 1873 bridge disaster will be dedicated on Sunday

DIXON — A three-panel historical marker about the 1873 Truesdell Bridge Disaster is on its way and will arrive in plenty of time for a dedication ceremony on Sunday, organizer Tom Wadsworth said.

Thursday marks the 150th anniversary of the collapse of the iron-lattice bridge, which killed 46 people and injured another 56 others as it flipped over while pedestrians crowded a walkway section to witness baptisms in the Rock River below.

[ For Tom Wadsworth, the 1873 Dixon bridge disaster comes full circle. ]

The public is invited to attend the dedication ceremony, which will be at 1:15 p.m. Sunday at Presidents Park at a location near to where the current Galena Avenue Bridge is.

“My eye gravitates to the ones that have Dixon in them. Dixon’s Horror. The Dixon Disaster. Our town’s name was entwined with this horrific event.”

—  Tom Wadsworth, on headlines in U.S. papers about the 1873 bridge disaster

The time coincides with the approximate moment the baptisms took place in 1873, just before the crowded bridge turned over and caused the fatalities.

The ceremony on Sunday will include comments by Wadsworth, Dixon Mayor Glen Hughes and Chamber of Commerce executive director Jeremy Englund. First Baptist Church pastor Bunyan Cocar will provide the invocation.

Hughes was sworn in as mayor Monday afternoon. His first official proclamation was to designate May 4, 1873, as “Dixon’s Darkest Day.”

Organizing an effort to erect a historical marker started in the autumn, and Wadsworth was surprised how quickly it garnered support.

“When I started this thing back in October, I knew we’d have to be raising money,” he said. “I was dreading it, because it’s not my favorite task to do.”

But conversations with outgoing Mayor Li Arellano Jr., leadership of the chamber, members of the Lee County Historical Society and the Dixon Park District got the ball rolling.

He said the chamber stepped forward to pick up the tab and the park district agreed to do the installation — which will begin on Wednesday if there are no hiccups.

The park district will dig four post holes and then pour cement for the footings, Wadsworth said.

Wadsworth said he anticipates the sign will be draped until its unveiling.

Wadsworth said the three-panel sign, which will stand about eight feet tall and is just as wide, cost about $4,000. The first panel is devoted to the story of the bridge’s construction, the second to its dedication and the third to the collapse. All the text will be easily read by anyone standing on the recreational pathway in the park’s riverside embankment.

L.E. Truesdell was the bridge’s designer, and the disaster is forever associated with his name. The bridge’s failure and the toll in lives — now considered the deadliest for a vehicle bridge in U.S. history — made headlines at newspapers across the country.

“My eye gravitates to the ones that have Dixon in them,” said Wadsworth. “Dixon’s Horror. The Dixon Disaster. Our town’s name was entwined with this horrific event.”

It prompted calls for reform. Eventually, it led to engineers enacting standards for bridge construction.

Discover Dixon and the Dixon Park District are serving as hosts for the dedication.

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From the north shore of the Rock River, Dixon historian Tom Wadsworth explains the history of the Truesdell Bridge Disaster of 1873 on Founders Day, Tuesday, April 11, 2023 near the present-day Galena Avenue Bridge. He was scheduled to make a presentation in the evening. (Troy Taylor)

A nine-foot length of pedestrian railing from the bridge, which was recently discovered, will be on display during the ceremony. Vintage photographs of the Truesdell Bridge will also be part of the display.

In addition to Wadsworth, other members of the historical marker project were Pat Gorman, Matthew Lenox, marketing director of Dixon Chamber, Lucas Pauley, marketing director for Dixon Park District, Ron Pritchard, and Geoff Vanderlin.