The Chicago Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad bridge was built in 1887 and was the second bridge to span the Missouri River at Kansas City. The postcard scene was printed in black and white by the Excelsior Company of New York and printed in Germany at the turn of the century. The bridge, built at Randolph Point, occupies a site historically important to Kansas Citians, since Francois Chouteau erected his first fur trading post in 1821 in an area just west of the south end of the bridge. The post was the first business and residential community on the site of Kansas City. It was destroyed by floodwaters in 1826 and a new warehouse was built farther upstream on higher ground. After 58 years of use the railway no longer needed the old bridge and it was purchased by the city of Kansas City and converted to highway use. The dedication of the $1,680,614 traffic link to Clay County was held Sept. 13, 1953. Forty descendants of the pioneer Chouteau family, joining in a group called the French Pioneers, suggested the name of the bridge be Chouteau in honor of the famous pioneer, and so it was. Today the scene around the bridge is completely industrial, and Chouteau bridge carries a heavy stream of traffic over its narrow roadway. Kansas City Star, November 20, 1976.
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