Wikimedia Commons/Thomas M. Easterly
The Pacific Railroad’s Deadly Plunge at Gasconade River
The Gasconade Bridge disaster changed American railroad history on a rainy November day in 1855. Six hundred of St. Louis’s top citizens boarded a train to mark the Pacific Railroad’s progress west.
They picked up more guests in Hermann, then moved on toward the 760-foot wooden bridge spanning the Gasconade River.
At just 12 mph, the train crept onto the temporary trestle. Then came the snap…