[1] The citizens of Montpelier Township petitioned the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors in 1877 for a bridge over Pine Creek at the site of the mill where they needed a crossing to transport their crops.

For most of the year the creek was easily crossed, but after a heavy rainfall it was turned into a raging stream.

Financial considerations delayed the project for a year when the board solicited bids for the construction of the bridge.

In September 1878 a contract to manufacture and erect the truss was issued to the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio.

While it was one of numerous bridge and mill combinations across the state of Iowa, it is the only one that remains.