McKenzie County is the “Island Empire” in North Dakota, owing to the rivers that surround the county. Motorists usually have to cross a bridge to enter the county, and residents rejoiced for having a new one dedicated on this date in 1928. It was a special event. The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge spanned the Little Missouri River south of Watford City. The bridge replaced a family-run ferry, which charged a fee for crossing and was hampered by thin ice in fall and ice jams in spring.