The Lincoln Memorial Bridge over the Wabash River

One of two pylons on Indiana side of the bridge.

This bridge carries U.S. 50 Business across the Wabash River from Vincennes, Indiana to Lawrence County, Illinois. The east end of the bridge is in the George Rogers Clark National Historic Park. At this entrance to the bridge you will find two large pylons made of granite, each with a raised sculpture depicting  a Native American Chief.

The bridge is what is called a deck arch design, and has two traffic lanes and wide pedestrian walks on each side of the roadway.  It was opened to traffic in September, 1933, the same year that the George Rogers Clark Memorial was completed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the monument in 1936.

View from the George Rogers Clark Monument

Wabash River walk, Illinois is on the other side of the river

Parked after crossing the bridge

This was one of the attractions we enjoyed on our trip to Vincennes, Indiana in August of 2020, during the height of the pandemic. We had a spot at a nearby RV Park, and were able to maintain the then acceptable “social distance” and had masks available.

Chief Tecumseh statue


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is always fun when travelling to come across an interesting attraction. We found this striking likeness of the famous Chief Tecumseh near the Wabash River levee in Vincennes, Indiana. The statue is the creation of Peter “Wolf” Toth, a Hungarian artist, and is the most recent addition (the 74th) to the “The Trail of Whispering Giants” series of statues scattered across the country.

Historic 1837 college

Behind the Catholic Basilica in Vincennes, Indiana is a small red brick building. The information plaque on the wall describes Saint Gabriel’s college that was started by the Eudist Fathers in 1837.

You can see a bit of our RV on the far right

Information plaque

Original stone wall visible

The Eudist Fathers were founded in the 1643 in France. and the group is still active today promoting missionary work and education. This old college was one of several historic places we found during our first real RV trip since February since we have been isolated due to that deadly virus. It is always fun to stand in front of an old historic structure and imagine what it was like back when it was built.

Stay safe while your travel, friends, but go ahead and travel safely!