Preview
Creation Date
11-16-1963
Identification #
OGL291-15
Description
This photograph was taken on November 15, 1963 during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of the Skidmore Bridge, now known as Kennedy Bridge (5/2025). The location is on Gateway Drive going over the Red River of the North to connect Grand Forks to East Grand Forks. I took nearly one year to build the Skidmore Avenue bridge, starting with the staking of the site in November of 1962 and ended on November 15, 1963.
A large audience jams around the speakers stand, at upper right, Harold D. Shaft, master of ceremonies, opens the dedication ceremony Saturday on the deck of the new Skidmore Avenue bridge.
"THIS PICTURE BY HERALD Photographer Colburn Hvidston III shows the final official action of cutting the ribbon to release traffic across the new $1 1/2 million Skidmore bridge when it was dedicated before about 2,000 interested onlookers on Saturday. Walter Hjelle, North Dakota state highway commissioner. second from left on platform, has just snipped the ribbon for two of the four bridge lanes after the ribbon across the other two lanes had been cut by P.R. Staffeild, deputy commissioner of the Minnesota State Highway Department."
"At Hjelle's right is Mayor Nelson A. Youngs of Grand Forks and at Hjelle's left are Gov. William L. Guy of North Dakota and Harold D. Shaft, Grand Forks attorney, master of ceremonies, who has been active for many years in steps to secure the new bridge. In back of Hjelle are other state and city officials including Mayor Claus Beck of East Grand Forks, seated second from right."
(*Both citations are excerpts taken from an article in the Grand Forks Herald, November 17, 1963 p.1)
Places Depicted
Grand Forks, North Dakota; East Grand Fork, Minnesota
People Depicted
Walter Hjelle, P.R. Staffeild, Nelson A. Youngs, William L. Guy, Harold D. Shaft, Claus Beck
Rights
Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks