The Northern Pacific Railroad bridge over the Mississippi River in Brainerd collapsed in 1875 while a train was on it. The engineer, a fireman and several passengers died in the accident. The engine, nearly a dozen cars of merchandise and almost a dozen cars of steel rails went into the river.
Cars, trucks and sport-utility vehicles in Brainerd are a common sight today. But horse-drawn and then electric streetcars provided public transportation in the early years of the city’s history.