Argonne Bridge World War I Memorial

The Argonne Bridge was built in 1920 and is a concrete arch bridge over the Spokane River on Argonne Road in Millwood, Washington. Argonne Road is named after the Argonne Forest in France and the bridge at the river was built and named in honor of the Spokane local boys who fought and died in the Battle of the Argonne Forest during late September of 1918 in World War I. Ninety-nine years ago, hundreds gathered in Millwood to dedicate Argonne Road and Argonne Bridge to the memory of those local soldiers. In 1970, the bridge was repaired and all traces of the memorials were lost. On 11/11/2019, down the street from the bridge at the intersection of Argonne and Empire, they erected a monument that says “World War I Memorial.” Atop the sign is an original “doughboy” helmet worn by a soldier in World War I. The non-profit was able to find one of the original plaques – it was in the office of an engineer. That plaque is featured prominently on the new memorial, on either side the logo for the DAR and the American Legion. One plaque they could not locate was the one that had the names of all of the fallen soldiers. The DAR said it was imperative the new memorial include their names so they will never be forgotten. They had a new plaque made and it sits right in the middle of the memorial. A beautiful garden was planted right behind the memorial. It is filled with poppies, the flower most commonly associated with World War I.