This is a single suspension bridge from the Bridgemeister historical inventory of suspension bridges.

1943: Sheep

Sheep Crossing (Cave Creek vicinity), Arizona, USA - Verde River
Bridgemeister ID:201 (added before 2003)
Year Completed:1943
Name:Sheep
Also Known As:Red Point Sheep, Verde River Sheep
Location:Sheep Crossing (Cave Creek vicinity), Arizona, USA
Crossing:Verde River
Coordinates:34.077674 N 111.707743 W
Maps:Acme, GeoHack, Google, OpenStreetMap
Principals:Flagstaff Sheep Co., Cyril O. Gilliam, Frank Auza, George W. Smith.
References:HAERAZ10
Use:Footbridge and Stock
Status:Replaced, 1988
Main Cables:Wire
Main Span:1 x 145.1 meters (476 feet)
Deck width:3 feet

Notes:

  • From a sign at the site: "The Old Verde River Sheep Bridge. The original Verde River Sheep Bridge, also known as the Red Point Sheep Bridge, was constructed at this location in 1943 by Flagstaff Sheep Company, which had been grazing sheep in the area under a Forest Service permit since 1926....

    "Erected with hand tools and a few mules during World War II, the bridge was constructed largely with salvaged materials. Overall length of the structure from cable anchorage to cable anchorage was 691 feet, and the distance between the towers was 568 feet. The walkway was 476 feet long and three feet wide. The towers originally were constructed with wood, as was the walkway. Soon after the bridge was completed, the wooden towers were reinforced with concrete buttresses. Each main suspension cable consisted of a pair of... lock-coil, spiral strands, which were obtained from an abandoned tramway that carted copper ore.... Only the towers of the old bridge remain.

    "Although several other bridges of this type previously had been built in Arizona, Verde River Sheep Bridge was the last of its kind in the Southwest when it was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 1988, weakened by years of service and floods, the bridge was disassembled. In 1989 the bridge found here today was erected. Reminiscent of the original structure, the new bridge recalls the ingenuity of the pioneer sheepmen and a way of ranching that has virtually disappeared from the Arizona scene."
  • Many remnants from this bridge are still visible at the site.
  • Replaced by 1989 Sheep - Sheep Crossing (Cave Creek vicinity), Arizona, USA.
Photo by Norm Johnson Photo by Patrick S. O'Donnell

Find bridges within of this bridge's location (N 34.077674 W 111.707743)

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