Jack Kennelly, 1976, Minnesota Historical Society
Back in 2004 I was geocaching in an area near Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve when I came eye to eye with a woman staring at me suspiciously. After asking what the hell I was doing poking around in a dead stump surrounded by buckthorn, she went on to tell me about when her husband and his friends used to roam the heavily wooded rolling hills between what is now the Three Rivers Park and what used to be known as “Billy Goat Bridge”. Intrigued by the name, a few years back I went to the Dakota County Historical Society and looked up more information on the bridge. I spoke at length with one of the staff members there who helped me dig through numerous articles including pictures of the old bridge. I took pictures of all of the articles and have them archived here if you’re interested in learning more.
As I was reading through the old articles, I was told by the staff member that I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Jack Kennelly, who took the photo used above and whose family is well known in Burnsville, just happened to be there at the historical society that day. He sat down with me and chatted in detail about not only the bridge but also about the history of Burnsville itself.
The bridge was eventually removed in the late 1980s due to the high cost of replacement. Estimates ranged between 400 and 500 thousand dollars from the late 70s into the late 80s. The location where this bridge once stood guard is now a road-level railroad crossing without the slightest bit of homage to a structure which once carried many people on their way to and from the towns surrounding Burnsville.
Did you know about Burnsville’s Billy Goat Bridge and have any stories to share? I have heard everything from “We were too young to drive, but that didn’t stop my brother and I from trying to do a ‘Dukes Of Hazzard’ over the bridge with friends,” to, “I used to drive over it commuting from Prior Lake to Burnsville. It was a dirt road until the end. It was sad to see it go in ’87 a real loss of Burnsville’s past.” I’d love to hear any more that you might have so go ahead and comment on!
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June 17th, 2009 at 9:46 am
I moved into Burnsville in 1987 and this was already gone. But i used to run my border collie on Burnsville Parkway south of 42 in old gravel pits and open fields back there… it is wall to wall houses now.
This is a good post… will send to my brother in law who graduated from BHS in 1970.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:47 am
That’s well before I moved to MN, but really fascinating stuff. Thanks for posting it up…I’m really intrigued by that kind of history.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Trip Trap Trip Trap – Me too!
June 17th, 2009 at 11:15 am
Ok, I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean :)
June 17th, 2009 at 11:29 am
from my brother in law… who grew up in Bville:
Crossing the Billy Goat Bridge was the first stage in any trip from my end of Burnsville to Savage and Prior Lake, and other areas south and west of 136th St. & County Rd. 5. In the ‘60s, friends and I used to bike across the bridge on our way to Prior Lake to fish. It was also a popular starting point for youthful adventurers exploring the woods, etc. between the railroad tracks and Judicial Rd.
I remember the Kennelly family, too.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:39 am
mulch, thanks for asking him about it. It’s really cool to know that everyone knows the bridge and has such fond memories of it.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I’m sure I’ve been on it, riding around with my parents in the car when I was little, but it would have been too long ago for me to remember.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Any other long since forgotten landmarks around that those of us too young to remember (or from out-of-the-area) should know about?
June 17th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Bill – Have you not heard of the story of the 3 Billy Goats Gruff? Seems that there was a troll who lived under the bridge, and when the goats would cross the bridge, the description of the sound that the bridge made was –
“Trip, trap, trip, trap, trip, trap! went the bridge, for the billy goat was so heavy that the bridge creaked and groaned under him.
“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” roared the troll . . ”
Please see: http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0122e.html#gruff for a more complete story of the Billy Goats.
. . . and I’m betting that this is where the name of this bridge originated.
Cheers,
Irving
June 17th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
I have a book of Nursery Rhymes and the Three Billy Goats Gruff are in it. It does in fact state……….Trip Trap Trip Trap…..and they go on to grind the trolls bones to dust, which seems a bit dark for a childrens story!
June 17th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
trip trap, trip trap, aw SHIT said bill when he thought he was at 47.12N/91.22W AND was actually at 46.12N/90.22W as he tumbled down the cliff! and was last heard screaming ‘I NEVER THOUGHT WATER GOT THIS FUCKING COLD!!’ :)
bb
June 17th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Mulch, then you must remember the Kennelly farm and mini zoo with deer etc on the south side of hiway 13 east of Cliff. Used to take the kids there. Now there are a bunch of townhouses. Guess it’s called progress….. what ever that means.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
haha.. I think it’s called we’re getting older. I’ll have to talk to my dad a bit about Apple Valley next time I’m with him. I’ll take some notes or record it. He was in Richfield/Apple Valley area in the late 70′s to the mid 80′s. He moved out to western Minnesota once all the kids were out of high school and just past Apple Valley taxes going through the roof and the city determined it wanted to be more metropolitan.
June 17th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Will–I used to live in those townhouses! I lived on Kennelly circle. The name meant nothing to me at the time. I had heard a little about the petting zoo, but any more info on that would be interesting. I have gone out to the MN Historical website and just browsed through the online pictures. If you just type in Burnsville there are tons of cool old pics and some on the Kennelly and other Irish folks.
Bill–Great post! I love stuff like this. This makes me think of my wife’s grandfather who recently died. I remember him talking about Apple Valley and how it was “such a waste to pave over all the nice farmland”. I wish I had picked his brain more.
There was also recently an article about the owner of Jackson Landscape in Lakeville. They are selling out an moving on. I always thought the old barn was a neat landmark for the area. The owner had some neat stories about riding his bike on what is now the interstate and such. Great article.
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/47111877.html?elr=KArks:DCiUocOaL_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUr
June 18th, 2009 at 5:53 am
IW, I am familiar with the name, I just didn’t recognize the content of the story. Thanks to you and Chad (especially that creepy version) I am now up-to-snuff on my nursery rhymes :)
June 18th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I’m trying to think of landmarks in the area from when I was younger and am pretty much coming up empty. Honestly, the South Metro used to be much, much more empty than it is now.
Hmm. Well, Lakeville’s first high school (and it was probably the junior high too at one point) used to stand where the district offices are now, I guess. I don’t remember much of it, though, as I was only in it once or twice when I was very little.
Oh, one interesting bit of trivia I remember from when I was younger is that the shopping center in Apple Valley where Rainbow, Half Price Books, etc. are now used to have interior hallways with parking lot entrances, like a real mall. There was a concourse running from Rainbow all along the east side between the stores and the parking lot, and at the end it turned into the mall corridor. I don’t remember what all the stores were in there — I have memories of a pet store, and a a chinese restaurant, but I am not sure what else.
I don’t remember when exactly they renovated it to remove the interior stores/hallways and use the space for larger exterior-facing stores. Probably early to mid-90′s, I’m guessing.
June 22nd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
“Old Joe” Kennelly, was a good man. Joe gave the land to Mary Mother of the Church in Burnsville where it was constructed. In ~1975 is when I first remeber “Old Joe” and frequented his farm often as we lived about 3 miles away in Eagan. He had peacocks, ducks, geese, and deer from what I recall. He grew pumpkins every year and invited us over for the first pick of pumpkins free of charge before he would sell them to the community. In his old age I recall going with my dad to do work around his house and farm and painting his house.
Can not say I recall the Billy Goat Bridge, will have to follow up with my dad and see if he recalls.
I do remember the old Cedar Avenue Bridge barely two lanes wide. I know we lost at least one drivers side mirror on that bridge to opposite traffic and in our case an 18 wheeler.
July 20th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Growing up in Burnsville in the early 70′s, our 3rd grade teacher used to bring us to Billy Goat bridge for field trips. I think we went to Kennelly’s farm as well.
I was just googling around for Billy goat bridge, as I moved from the area and forgot where it was when I went looking for it again. I didn’t realize it was torn down. Then again, I get lost in the town I grew up in whenever I return to visit. :o)
It’s definitely not the same Burnsville I grew up in. Reminds me much more of Bloomington now. We were quite peeved kids when they bulldozed all the bike jumps we had created in an open field to build the Burnsville Center.
May 10th, 2010 at 5:20 am
When I was younger, my brother, friends and I used to play on/under the bridge. It was always fun when a car passed over and we were secretly hidden beneath the bridge. Very loud and scarry to hear those cars going overhead. Because it was a gravel road on the far side of the bridge, my dad didn’t like to take the bridge often, but we would talk him into going that way just to pass over the bridge. Seeing the picture above brings back a lot of good memories. Thanks.
September 5th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
I grew up just down judicial road from the bridge and hunted all around it during the mid seventies to the mid eighties.
We also use to sit on the bridge when trains were passing and jump on to the cars when it was passing through during the evenings headed towards Iowa!
You could ride it all the way down to Dubuque and then hitch hike home on long weekends.
July 21st, 2011 at 11:25 pm
You had to go over Billy Goat Bridge to get to Oil Pan Hill!
September 25th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
I remember riding my bike for the first time. A few friends and I from Rambush trailer park rode to a convenience store where we bought candy and Mad magazines. We never got caught.
Thanks for the opportunity to share.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:57 pm
I grew up in Eagan and Burnsville and remember both the Kennelly’s farm and the billy goat bridge. The bridge was dismantled when burnsville parkway was widened to cty rd 42. Lumber from the bridge was saved and used to make a small replica in Neil park located just down Burnsville parkway from the origional bridge location.
December 3rd, 2012 at 1:14 pm
I remember the Billy Goat Bridge well, and still cut thru that same way often. Didnt realize they’d saved the wood and built a replica though ? Do any of you remember Christina Huddleston, and the little tiny store in the front of their home on the corner of cnty rd 5 and 46 ? When she passed she donated all her property to the YMCA …called YMCA Day Camp Streefland…so glad, otherwise all that property would be developed into large expensive homes by now. We used to ride to her store on our pony’s to buy candy, as well as the old Seagirt Inn on Orchard Lake in Lakeville…good old memories…thnx :)
May 27th, 2013 at 12:01 am
I just wanted to thank Bill Roehl for taking photos of the archived newspaper articles about Billy Goat Bridge and posting a link to them here. I’m going to show the articles to my mom who remembers the bridge fondly, crossing it when she was about five years old and living for a while with her great aunt on the Gallagher farm in Burnsville in 1922.