An historic rail bridge built in the late 1890s is getting new life in one Minnesota community.

Scenic views of the Mississippi River can still be found where horse-drawn wagons, trains and cars once traveled over "America's River" between Inver Grove Heights and St. Paul Park.

"It's super important to us," said Adam Lares, Inver Grove Heights' park and recreation director. "This is part of our history and one of our foundations of our city."

That history began with construction of the double-decker Rock Island Swing Bridge in 1894. The local legend is that notorious gangster John Dillinger crossed the bridge in a stolen car following a shootout with Dakota County authorities in the mid-1930s.

The bridge closed to rail traffic in 1980 and road traffic in 1999. Today, it is a pier spanning 680 feet over the river where old meets new — thanks to an illuminating idea.  

"The first time I heard about it was from one of our council members, Councilmember John Murphy. He's like, 'Hey, it'd be great idea if we could kind of draw some more attention to our community, utilize our history and put some lights on that bridge,'" Lares said.

New life and light were added to the bridge in the form of 28,000 color-changing LEDs in June.

The half-million-dollar upgrade got a big boost from the state, and the city chipped in, too.

The nightly light shows are bringing new visitors, and brightening memories for longtime locals.

"When I was a kid, went over that on a toll. I walked across that bridge. My grandpa, my grandma worked on that bridge, so it just really flooded a lot of history back," Lares said.

The city is already getting requests for color combinations and other light show suggestions. They are currently working on a lighting policy.  

"I hope one day we will see it purple and gold for the Vikings when they win the Super Bowl," Lares said.

The unique light show starts every 15 minutes from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. every night through the summer.