Historic Roadsides: Temperance River Roadside Parking Area and Bridge
Temperance River Roadside Parking Area and Bridge
Located: On MN 61 in Lake County, between Schroeder and Tofte.
Constructed: ca. 1935-1950
Historic Roadside Structures
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The roadside parking area at the Temperance River between Schroeder and Tofte on the north shore drive features several rustic structures surrounding its centerpiece: the Temperance River Bridge, a concrete arch structure completed in 1931. The site features four parking areas, one at each corner of the bridge, each with a crumbling remnant of a stone wall, most likely constructed in 1935/36. as well as a curved stone staircase leading from the southeast parking area to a pedestrian walk. An inventory of the site taken in 1997 found the surviving historic structures to be either heavily altered, or in poor condition. Several stone walkways and stairs are now gone.
Photos - taken in April, 2010.
Northbound view on Highway 61 at the Temperance River bridge, with two of the parking areas visible ahead.
The old stone wall at the southeast parking area.
The crumbling remains of the stone wall at the southwest parking area.
A set of gracefully curving stone stairs leading down from the southeast parking area.
The concrete arch bridge carrying Highway 61 over the Temperance River. Note the crumbling concrete foundation on the right, which may have once supported an earlier crossing.
Another view of the bridge from further downstream.
A mysterious circular stone wall at the base of a pedestrian bridge below the highway crossing.
