Between 1810 and 1850, the population of Brooklyn, New York, jumped from about 3,000 to over 100,000.
People in Brooklyn had to take a ferry across the East River to get to the island of Manhattan. But the river often froze during the winter, and ferries were overcrowded at rush hour. A new way of crossing was needed. In 1867, former Brooklyn Mayor Henry Cruse Murphy suggested building a bridge. Two years later, construction began. It would become one of the most amazing engineering feats in history.
