One example of the change Illinois and its legal community went through during the 19th century was a case Abraham Lincoln was hired on, Hurd v. Rock Island Railroad Co. Construction for the 1,535-foot Rock Island Bridge was completed in April 1856. The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River allowed residents of eastern Iowa to reach New York City in 42 hours. And while residents cheered as the first locomotives crossed the bridge, just 15 days later, the engines of controversy were roaring. A …