In 1952, a bridge spanning the Missouri River from Florence, Nebraska, to Pottawattamie County, Iowa was completed. Its official name was Mormon Pioneer Memorial Bridge because of its proximity to the Mormon Pioneer Trail.
Unlike Jackson County, Missouri, where the Missouri River flows west to east, at this point the Missouri flows south, separating the historic sites of Kanesville, Iowa, from Winter Quarters, Nebraska.
Beginning in 1846, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operated a ferry that crossed the river here. Following its construction, the 1952 bridge was commonly referred to as Mormon Bridge. It was dedicated on June 1, 1953, by President David O. McKay. Funding for the bridge was provided by a toll until 1979, when a second bridge north of the original bridge was constructed. This made the two bridges part of Interstate 680. This highway is a belt route that bypasses Omaha on the west and north. Once the toll was no longer used, the toll booth building was moved to another part of the city of Florence and used for several different purposes.
The Winter Quarters Nebraska Temple is located near the bridge as is the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters. Moreover, there is still a reminiscent-type Latter-day Saint presence in the area seen on historical markers in parks and in such streets as Mormon Street, Young Street and Mormon Bridge Road.