Van Loon Floodplain Savanna State Natural Area

McGilvray Seven Bridges Road was established in the 1850s for travelers to
reach McGilvray's Ferry over the Black River, a tributary of the Mississippi River.

The seven bridges allowing passage over the floodplain rotted after 40 years of use and
were replaced with steel bowstring arch truss bridges in 1905-8, six of which still exist.