432 suspension bridges were found for search criteria: county.
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In an email dated January 16, 2000, Don Sayenga provided information about the location of this bridge. Generally attributed to Uniontown (the seat of Fayette County, PA), Mr. Sayenga offers some clues about the bridge's true location. "[James Finley] stated that he built it near the home of his friend Meason which implies a connection for the iron as Meason was making iron. Meason's home has survived by the way, a beautiful place. Finley stated it was a combination contract with the cost split between two counties, and he stated it was built over Jacob's Creek which is the county boundary. He also makes it clear it was on the road to Greensburg. The only place the old road crossed Jacob's Creek is just south of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. On the geodetic survey maps this spot is marked "Iron Bridge" but there is no town there. The last time I was there I saw a sign that said 'Iron Bridge' on an automobile scrap yard. I found absolutely no trace of the bridge, but it was not very big, so there was no need for a huge abutment."
First suspension bridge with a rigid level deck, often considered the world's first modern suspension bridge.
Coordinates are for the likely location of the bridge, where present-day (2020) Pennsylvania route 3105 crosses Jacob's Creek.
Yeomet was located near the present day California Route 49 crossing of the Cosumnes River by the confluence of the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Cosumnes River. Yeomet was once known as "Forks of the Cosumnes." The location coordinates provided here are only to show the approximate location of the confluence and should not be considered the exact location of the bridge. This inventory entry represents the suspension bridge for which a photograph exists in the Lawrence & Houseworth collection titled "Suspension Bridge over the Cosumnes River, At Yeomet, El Dorado County". This image exists in several online archives.
Barry Parr, consulting Erwin Gudde's California Gold Camps (University of California Press), writes that Gudde notes the bridge is located "at Yeomet and says it was marked on the County Map in 1866, and was owned by S.E. Huse for a decade. Of Yeomet, Gudde writes: 'Amador County. At the junction of the forks of Cosumnes River, formerly in El Dorado County'. Gudde says the camp developed in 1849 or 1850 and prospered for a number of years, but says nothing further about the bridge." Barry also notes that some sources cite Yeomet as located in Calaveras County, but this is because Amador County was created in 1854 from Calaveras County. Barry continues: "The California Division of Mines Bulletin 141, Geological Guidebook along Highway 49, mentions the Highway 49 bridge across the Cosumnes as also known as the Huse Bridge."
The October 14, 1976 edition of The Mountain Democrat Times (Placerville, California) has an article about the Huse Bridge (from the Heritage Association of El Dorado) describing Huse's Bridge:
"E.P. Bowman, an early motel keeper in Yeomet had a ferry across the Cosumnes and by 1852 had built a bridge there (J.M. Watrous had a ferry there also). Traffic was heavy and... [the tolls were] as much a 'gold mine' as most of the nearby river claims which ran for miles above and below the town. (Yeomet falls was below the bridge). The famous Mother Lode crossed the river in the vicinity of the town. Samuel Huse bought the bridge at Yeomet in about 1862 and owned it until his death. His widow Laura sold the wire suspension bridge and the exclusive right to collect tolls to John Ballard and W.H. Martin in 1883. William Miller purchased the property in 1887."
It is unclear if the 1852 E.P. Bowman bridge was the same structure as the suspension bridge purchased by Huse ten years later, but it has been assumed here pending additional details.
An obituary for in the August 28, 1949 edition of the Oakland Tribune for Lilian Williams presents a stronger tie between E.P. Bowman and S.E. Huse: "With her foster parents, the E. P. Bowmans, Mrs. Williams spent her childhood in Oakland, San Francisco and Yeomet, between Plymouth and Placerville. Bowman and her foster uncle, S.E. Huse, owned a hotel at Yeomet. They also built and operated a toll bridge there on the Cosumnes River, over which most of the heavy machinery and mining equipment was transported to the old Mother Lode mines."
The location of this bridge was near the present day location of Cosumne in Sacramento County, just east of Sloughhouse. The location coordinates provided here are only to show the approximate location of present-day Cosumne and should not be considered the exact location of the bridge. Don Sayenga writes: "The exact location was at the intersection of [present-day] Dillard Road and State Route 16 a very short distance east of Sloughhouse, Sacramento County, California... The whole area at that time was known as Daylor's Ranch."
Don Sayenga notes an F.W. Panhorst (of the California Highway Department) citation:
"Alta California July 27, 1852 reprinting an article from Sacramento Union mentions a wire suspension bridge built in Sacramento County across the Cosumnes. The span is described as 150 feet with a roadway width of 12 feet. One W.D. Wilson is mentioned as owner and designer. This structure, according to our best information, was the first suspension bridge in California."
A January 14, 1862 Sacramento Bee article notes:
"The quartz mill and house of the brothers Wiley, just beyond Butte City, were carried away by the torrent. At Ione City, William's brick stable had fallen, and several other houses had met with a like fate. On Sutter creek, the loss and damage had been terrific - bridges and houses being carried off like chaff. Mr. Haywood, proprietor of a quartz mill on Sutter creek, had been a loser to the amount of at least $75,000. We have it from good authority that in the counties of Calaveras and Amador not a bridge is left standing. Below Ione City, it is thought that there has been loss of life."
"Last Saturday night, the reports of minute guns were heard, as if signals of distress, coming from the direction of a house where lived Mr. Martin and his family. The whole of Ione Valley was many feet under water. No boats were to be had, so that assistance might be rendered those in danger and distress. In a short time a heavy crash was heard, the signals of distress ceased, and our informant tells us that when he left the general impression was that Martin and his family had lost their lives. The wire suspension bridge over the Cosumnes river had disappeared - the house known as Wilson’s Exchange has also been washed away, and Daylor’s adobe house is flat with the ground. These facts go to show that throughout the mountain districts, as well as in the valleys, the destruction of property and loss of human life exceed the worst that was anticipated, and we shall hear repetitions of such tales of distress as the avenues for communication are gradually opened to us."
which seems to imply a relationship between the Ione Valley, the Cosumnes River, and the bridge at Wilson's Exchange, but this may have just been coincidental that both "Ione Valley" and Wilson's Exchange were mentioned in the same paragraph; they are nearby. Present-day Ione is in Amador County a few miles east of Sacramento County. The Cosumnes River forms the northern border of Amador County several miles to the north of present-day Ione. Barry Parr notes that the Cosumnes River does not flow through the "Ione Valley," but Barry writes: "Recalling Daylor’s name in Historic Spots of California: 'Daylor established himself as a trader and hotel-keeper on the Cosumnes River about a mile east of Slough House. This place, which was at first known as Daylor’s Ranch, later became the Cosumnes post office.' (p. 290) The site of Cosumnes post office is about five miles downstream from Bridge House, and both are on the Sacramento-Ione Road.
Oliver Plummer. Transcription by Debbie Walke Gramlick of passage from An Illustrated History of Sacramento County, California. (by Hon. Win. J. Davis, Lewis Publishing Company, 1890, Pages 435-436) which sheds more light on W.D. Wilson.
"Mr. Wilson and part of the company concluded to seek the land of gold, while others kept to the original design of going to Oregon. On his arrival Mr. Wilson mined for a short time on Mormon Island and then moved to Hangtown, now Placerville, where in the winter of 1848-49 he built the first house erected in that place. The family then comprised six children; five more were born in California; nine grew to maturity and seven are living in 1889. In the spring of 1850 he moved down on the Cosumnes and purchased 6,000 acres of the Hartnell Grant, and built a tavern, long known as Wilson’s Exchange, across the river from what is now the Cosumnes post office. He was postmaster from the establishment of that office until 1868. He was by trade a millwright and built the first suspension bridge on the Cosumnes."
BDR: Built 1856, severely damaged 1859, rebuilt, collapsed Jan. 1st 1865, rebuilt 1866. Dale writes: "A respected historian, John Willard Johnston, who knew Chauncey Thomas personally and visited the area during his ownership of the toll bridge, insisted that Thomas, as the builder, was grossly incompetent."
Originally constructed with one main span, the center pier was added during the 1866 reconstruction.
Don Sayenga's research leads him to conclude the bridge was completed in the fall of 1855. He notes an article from the Pike County Democrat (June 21, 1872) stating the bridge was completed in 1855. The article also notes the 1859 collapse occurred on July 2, 1859. Don's interest in this bridge is piqued by the connection to John Roebling, "...this bridge seems to be the only John Roebling bridge that failed in service..." Roebling prepared plans, for the original bridge, for Chauncy Thomas (who, by Dale's account was inexperienced).
The location of Rattlesnake Bar is closer to present-day Auburn than Folsom, near the location of Goose Flat marked on modern topographical maps of the region. The area was inundated during the creation of Folsom Lake, but the piers and abutments of the Rattlesnake Bar bridge are visible when the water level is low.
Rodi Lee writes: "[The bridge] collapsed in 1954 when an overweight truck filled with manure crossed it. The driver was unhurt. There are newspaper articles about the incident (Auburn Journal, Auburn). There are some photos in the article as well. The bridge abutments show when the the lake water is low. The bridge was upstream of Wild Goose Flats."
The location coordinates provided here are the approximate location of this bridge, crossing the Cosumnes between present day El Dorado and Amador counties at Michigan Bar (as named on USGS topographical maps) on current Latrobe Road where Clark Creek meets the Cosumnes River. Note that USGS topographical maps show another, more prominently marked, "Michigan Bar" a few miles west in Sacramento County.
A California Highways and Public Works article (unsure of exact citation but it may be the article on the history of California bridges that appeared in the 1941 June issue and was reprinted in the 1950 September/October issue) says "there were four [suspension bridges] on the Cosumnes River, one of which (Lamb's Bridge on the Latrobe-Plymouth Road) killed one man and seven horses when it fell in 1869."
The October 14, 1976 edition of The Mountain Democrat Times (Placerville, California) has an article about the nearby Huse Bridge (from the Heritage Association of El Dorado) which mentions Lamb's Bridge: "...Lamb's Bridge, several miles downriver, was reconstructed in 1872 and was also a wire bridge of the same type [as Huse's]."
The Statutes of California passed at the Fourteenth Session of the Legislature, 1863 records: "Chapter XLI. An Act to grant to Larkin Lamb and his Associates the right to construct and maintain a Toll Bridge across the Cosumnes River, in the Counties of Amador and El Dorado. Approved March 6, 1863. The People of the State of California, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: Section 1. Larkin Lamb, and those he may associate with him, their heirs and assigns, shall have full power to build, erect, construct, and maintain a public toll bridge across the Cosumnes River, at a point about eighty (80) rods below Dutch Hill;..."
A November 12, 2017 article in Ledger Dispatch (of Amador and Calaveras counties) titled "Vestiges of Amador-Communities Along the Cosumnes, Part VI: The Lower Reaches - Michigan Bar to Wisconsin Bar" by Deborah Coleen Cook gives a more complete history of Lamb's bridge citing the enactment (February 9, 1863) of the bill to permit construction, construction completing six months later, failure of one of the cables in 1869 under the weight of a large freight wagon, and another cable/anchorage failure in 1872 while the bridge was undergoing major repairs.
The February 23, 1995 edition of the Mountain Democrat (Placerville, California) has an article about the Mosquito crossing that mentions: "According to the El Dorado County History of 1883 by Paolo Sioli, 'Mosquito is connected to Placerville by a good wagon-road and a suspension bridge across the South Fork of the American River, a trail is running in the direction of Kelsey, the township center... The original bridge was constructed in 1867, and according to Orval Beckett, as quoted in the booklet, Mosquito Memories, 'This original bridge had no banisters on the sides. It was a suspension cable with No. 9 telephone wires strung between the supports. When you drove onto the bridge, it would 'swing and sway' much like we have seen in the movies. When one end went down the other went up, etc. Imagine the thrill!'"
This bridge was located where present-day Suspension Bridge Road crosses the Whitewater River next to I-275 and north of US50. According to information provided by Sharon Lutz from Marjorie Byrnside Burress, this bridge was renamed "Harrison's Suspension Bridge" in 1891. This should not be confused with the nearby suspension bridge at Harrison.
According to the information provided by Sharon Lutz from Marjorie Byrnside Burress, "Crossing this bridge was the main thoroughfare from Indiana into Ohio for many years (US 50 was not completed by then). [In 1920] it was decided that the Suspension Bridge had become obsolete and could no longer safely withstand the weight of vehicles. [On May 19, 1920] the cables were severed by means of an oxygen flame, the weight of the cables pulled down some towers. Other towers were weakened by dynamite at their bases and later they were pulled down by the weight of the cables severed at one end with an oxygen flame."
Coordinates indicate approximate original location of the bridge.
Destroyed by storm soon after completion and rebuilt.
Images of America: Warren by Jodi L. Brandon shows an image of this bridge with a caption stating the bridge was moved to Kelletville (in Forest County, Pennsylvania) in 1906.
This bridge was close to the alignment of Binghamton's present Clinton Street bridge. It replaced a bridge that was destroyed by flood in 1865. It was condemned in 1896 and removed in 1897. History Of Broome County indicates an act was passed March 13th, 1871 authorizing the bridge with the contract let to "W.A. Roebling & Son" each cable consisting of seven steel wire ropes, each two inches in diameter.
An article from the Binghamton Democrat, July 20, 1871: "The Suspension Bridge -- The work on the west abutment of the suspension bridge has been commenced and will be rapidly as advisable pushed forward to completion, and soon thereafter the wire cables will be placed in position, the stays, supports and girders made fast, and ready for the flooring. In the course of six or eight weeks it is hoped that the bridge will be completed, and our people given another way of passing from the 1st to the 2nd wards, and the old-pleasant driveway re-opened, of which we have been debarred since the flood of St-Patrick's Day in the morning in [1865]. Upon the completion of this enterprise, surely no one will ever regret having voted in favor of the free suspension bridge."
An article from the Binghamton Democrat, Nov. 30, 1871: "The New Bridge -- Its Cost -- For the suspenssion [sic] bridge, the tax-payers voted $28,000. It is finished, and in the Common Council last evening it was asserted that it cost over $30,000 and still all the claims are not satisfied. Mr. Jas. Fanning, contractor for building abutments, seeks relief for $1,000 or upwards which he is out no account of his contract. His petition was after considerable skirmishing finally referred to a committee. We hold that this is wrong, the Common Council has nothing to do with this matter. Mayor Dwight published a card binding himself to pay all over $28,000 that the bridge would cost. The people voted that amount and their representatives have nothing to do with any further cost or expense arrising [sic] from that source."
Internet searches for this bridge often lead to an image on page 32 of the book "Binghamton", from the "Images of America" series, by Ed Aswad and Suzanne M. Meredith. However, that image is of the Warren Pensylvania suspension bridge and is erroneously captioned as the Binghamton Ferry Street bridge. The bridges may be sometimes confused because of similar surroundings and similar towers. Both are often depicted with a large warehouse building on the far side of the bridge, to the right. Both had "walk-through" towers where the pedestrian walkway passed through portals in the towers. Closer comparisons reveal the Warren towers are substantially larger than the Ferry Street towers. This is not surprising given the Warren bridge was substantially longer than the Ferry Street bridge. All this being said, there are different images purporting to be the Ferry Street bridge that show different towers. The stereoview image linked here appears to show the original towers. Later photos appear to show either replaced towers or, perhaps, the original towers clad in protective housing.
This bridge was part of the Rockport lumber mill (Mendocino County). The bridge stretched over ocean to a large rock in the bay.
Jakkula cites two sources describing the cables as steel.
Don Sayenga transcribed one of Jakkula's references, The Iron Age Volume XX , No. 3 (August 2, 1877) Page 1: "A Steel Wire Suspension Bridge In California"
The Pacific Bridge Company are building in Mendocino county, California at Cottoneva, a suspension bridge which is described as follows "The distance from center to center of the saddles on the towers is 270 feet. The deflection or fall of the cable is 23 feet 6 inches. The cables are built in the same manner as those of the Clifton bridge at Niagara. The steel wire is about No. 11 Birmingham gauge, and is protected against rust by immersing in a bath which it a fine coat of zinc. There are eleven wires in each strand, seven strands in each rope, and seven ropes in each cable. The ropes are not twisted together to form the cable but gathered up every six feet by the suspender bands. Each rope is warranted to bear a strain of 60 tons. It is made fast to an independent anchor bar, 1 by 3 inches in diameter, and forming links 18 feet long, until connection is made with the anchors. The anchors are of cast iron, 3-1/2 by 3 feet in surface, weigh 1000 pounds each, and are placed 14 feet below the surface of the rock. Great care was taken in securing the anchors in place by means of cross I beams which run under the rock on either side. The lower part of each pit was enlarged to so as to form a hemispherical chamber, and the rock work, set in Portland cement, which is built upon the anchor, is so constructed that the upward strain is transmitted to the sides. The towers are of red wood. There are four posts 10 x 10 inches and two 10 x 12 inches, giving an effective area of 640 inches to withstand the strain of the cables on the tower. The wooden truss to prevent vertical vibration is 8 feet high and of the Howe truss pattern. The 270 feet of the bridge is divided into 45 pannels. The longest suspenders, 44 in number are of 7/8 inch steel wire, the 42 shorter ones are of 1-1/8 inch solid iron. The estimated dead load of the bridge is 1000 pounds per linear foot; live load, one ton per linear foot; in all, one and one half tons, or one fifth of actual breaking load. The bridge will be completed in about 30 days and promises to be a structure which the builders may well be proud of."
Don writes: "[In] Jakkula's last citation, he is saying that this is factory-made wire rope... The construction of the wire rope (7 by 11) used in the main cables is not common for the USA as of 1877; in fact it is extremely uncommon. The wire ropes used at Clifton/Niagara were made in England -- it wouldn't surprise me if these were made in England too."
In the June 18, 1970 edition of the Daily Tribune newspaper (Great Bend, Kansas) an article titled "Last Suspension Bridge to Fall" describes this bridge: "The suspension bridge appears to be going the way of the old covered bridge in Kansas. At least, the particular type of suspension span represented by Osage County Bridge No. 18 may be gone when this structure is replaced within two years. L.D. Pierce, Osage County engineer, said he believes this 'homemade' suspension bridge probably is the last of its kind in this state. He said it was built in 1882 from a pencil-drawn plan that probably was prepared by asurveyor or a millwright. He said it was constructed with materials that could be found in any hardware store and lumber yard. For example, cables are No. 9 gauge wire, bound together. Pierce said at one time there were five or six of these bridges in Osage County. The 100-foot span over Long Creek has been closed to traffic since 1967."
This entry refers to the steel suspension footbridge nestled between Telford's suspension bridge and Stephenson's rail bridge. Click the photo to get a better view of this bridge. According to Susan Ellis, Senior Archivist of the Conwy County Borough Council, the bridge was built on the recommendation of John J. Webster who was hired to inspect Telford's suspension bridge in 1902 "following fears about the safety of its condition. He reported back making various recommendation for strengthening the bridge, including that a separate footbridge be constructed."
This footbridge was in existence until at least 1957.
"Conway Suspension Bridge." The Engineer, 20 May 1904.
This detailed account of the 1904 reinforcement of Telford's adjacent bridge does not mention the existence of, or building of, an additional footbridge. It does describe adding a cantilevered walkway to one side of Telford's bridge. This walkway was, indeed, built, and can be seen in the linked image on the left side of the older bridge. Thus, it is not entirely clear whether this bridge was actually constructed in 1904 and the work of Alfred Thorne (who was very much associated with the Telford bridge reinforcement project)
Tony King believes he found the former location of this bridge a few hundred yards south of the I-20 Brazos River crossing west of Weatherford. This location is near a road named "Brannon Bridge Circle." Tony writes: "Just downstream from the modern Interstate 20 bridge in western Parker County, I've noticed a concrete and iron structure, and happened to take a photo of it recently. I've noticed the structure a couple of times in the past (most recently in May of 2007) while hiking a well-worn foot/ATV path that parallels the west bank of the river as it flows almost due south from the Interstate to Meeks Bend." The structure in Tony's photo appears to be a pier or support footing. The coordinates given here are Tony's approximation of the location of the structure.
Built as part of the same contract as the Tin Top bridge.
Some internet resources suggest the "Tin Top" and "Hightower" suspension bridges were separate nearby structures, however, this does not appear to have been the case. Both names were used to describe the same structure and USGS topographical maps from the 1950s label the bridge due south of Tin Top as "Hightower". Mitchell and Pigg did build a similar structure, at Brannon's Crossing. The 2015 National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for "Historic Road Infrastructure of Texas, 1866-1965", the Texas Department of Transportation writes: "In 1905 [Mitchell and Pigg] constructed the practically identical Brannon's Crossing and Hightower Valley Bridges across the Brazos in Parker County. The former was a 440-foot clear span while the later, also known as Tin Top, was 400 feet."
The coordinates appear to be the exact location of a pier remaining (as of 2020) from this bridge. The alignment indicated by the pier appears to exactly match the location of this bridge as indicated by 1958 USGS topographical map of the area.
On Page 13 of the December 27, 1967 edition of West Virginia's The Charleston Gazette newspaper, there is a photograph of this footbridge with a Jeep driving across. The caption reads: "Pedestrian bridge at Vulcan... is used by vehicles because it provides a route over the Tug River to Kentucky. A citizen's group has complained that the bridge is not strong enough to support cars." The photograph accompanies an article "Road Reform Call Urged" that says the bridge is "regularly used by Jeeps and small cars." Note the date of the article, December 27, 1967 is 12 days after the Silver Bridge disaster at Point Pleasant, West Virginia.
The book "Harrison County" in the "Images of America" series by Robert F. Stealey shows an image of this bridge stating it was "replaced by a new concrete span in the early 1960s".
External Links:
Asturian-American Migration Forum :: Lleendu tema - History of Spelter, an American Asturian Community. Mentions: "The [Grasselli Company] built a swinging footbridge across the West Fork River in 1910 to connect the town of Spelter with the Fairmont-Clarksburg interurban trolley line. The trolley stop was called 'Ziesing'. Wagons forded the river to bring supplies not carried into the town by the B.&O. Railroad. A school house was built on the hill… DuPont sold the townsite in 1950, including the swinging bridge, to John J. Moschetta who immediately sold the houses to the employees occupying them at the time. Mr. Moschetta dismantled the swinging bridge in 1951… In 1962 a new cement bridge was constructed north of the old vehicular bridge."
Facility served by the bridge closed in 1925 at which time the bridge was likely abandoned. Towers appear to still be standing (in late 2010s).
External Links:
A Delaware County Primer complied by Sue Hudson. "West of Cooks Falls and east of Horton, on the O&W. Acid plant built here by Eugene King burned in June 1888, was rebuilt, and was later bought by local entrepreneur, George I. Treyz. Railroad suspension bridge constructed in 1911 by John A. Roebling's Sons Company of Trenton, NJ to connect Treyz's acid factory, saw mill, and planing mill on Russell Brook to the O&W, which ran on the other side of the Beaver Kill."
Cooks Falls - Colchester Historical Society. "Arthur Leighton and George I. Treyz developed the acid factory industries in Cook's Falls... Treyz had a close relationship with the O&W Railroad, which helped both to prosper. Treyz installed a Roebling suspension bridge between his plant and the O&W Railroad. This siding was known as the Grove Switch. A narrow gauge railway was constructed and ran up Russell Brook to the Russell School. This line carried logs and sawed lumber down to the Treyz plant and the O&W Railroad."
Location inundated by the Harry S. Truman Reservoir.
External Links:
Bridgehunter - County Line Bridge. Robert Hayden (BOTO) describes the County Line bridge briefly as being the first steel-towered Joe Dice bridge but the image at shows large timber towers like other pre-steel towered Dice bridges.
2006: The bridge is closed. Marilyn Renaker of the "Committee to Save the Mule Bridge" writes in late August, 2006: "Trinity County and the Forest Service would like to abandon the Mule Bridge. Hyampom had a town meeting about this and everyone was opposed to the removal of the bridge which has been a part of our community since 1913."
2010: Multi-year repair and reconstruction project started.
The description on the back of a postcard reads: "The only remaining swinging bridge in the state of Oklahoma crossable by automobile spans beautiful Pennington Creek in Tishomingo. The guaranteed strength of the bridge is 164 tons and is located 3 blocks south of the old Chickasaw Capitol on South Capitol Avenue. The bridge was built by Western Bridge Company of Sherman, Texas and was dedicated November 28, 1913."
Destroyed by flood.
An article in the April 7, 1964 issue of The Ada Evening News (Oklahoma) titled "Tishomingo Acts To Save Famed Bridge": "Tishomingo's Swinging Bridge, a landmark since Territorial days, may yet be saved from the junk man. Indeed, with a little luck, it may be put back into service to carry traffic across Pennington Creek as it did in its heyday. Some 25 persons attended a regular city council meeting Monday night to urge that the bridge be repaired; and the council appointed a committee to look into the cost of such a project. "It looks favorable," Mayor Lee butler said Tuesday. "It looks like we might get it repaired." The old suspension bridge has been closed to traffic for several years. Floor planks have rotted and fallen away, and the whole structure was condemned as unsafe. The problem of financing has held the city back from repairing the ancient structure. However, Butler said the county commissioners have offered to help, and quite a few individual citizens have promised donations to assist the project. When the committee reports back on the cost, Butler said, the council will be ready to take action."
The bridge must have been repaired in the mid-1960's and reopened. An article in the July 9, 1978 issue of The Ada Evening News (Oklahoma) titled "Repair of Tishomingo's Suspension Bridge Slated": "Work is expected to begin in the near future on the renovation of the suspension bridge here which spans Pennington Creek. The landmark structure and last swinging bridge in the state open to vehicular traffic was closed last May when city officials deemed it was 'too dangerous' to keep open due to its deteriorated state. In an effort to reopen the bridge as soon as possible, the Tishomingo City Council acted last week to approve funding for materials necessary to repair the 65-year-old structure and has arranged for participants in the Young Adult Conservation Corps camp at Sulphur to provide the manpower needed for the work. Frank Glover, head of the Tishomingo street department, said the Johnston County commissioners have also promised to aid in the repair of the bridge. Glover said he hopes the renovation will be completed this summer. He estimated materials for the work will cost the city about $5,000- $6,000. The bridge will have to be renovated from the bottom up, including the replacement of the entire wooden floor, Glover said. He said city officials are still looking for someone knowledgeable about the construction of suspension bridges to aid in the repair of the structure."
The June 22, 1940 edition of The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune (Chillicothe, Missouri) has an article titled "Three Killed in Bridge Collapse, Workmen were repairing the structure near Lowry City, Mo." describing a fatal collapse of the bridge: "Three men were killed, three injured critically and an 8-year old boy believed drowned when cribbing on a wooden suspension bridge across the Osage River six miles east of Lowry City collapsed about 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon. The bridge, on a farm-to-market road in St. Clair County, was being remodeled. Of the ten men working and bystanders on and near the structure when it fell, only one escaped without injury. All those killed or injured lived in St. Clair County. On the west side of the bridge a framework of heavy timbers had been inserted between one of the suspension cables and an old wooden pier, which originally had supported the cable. The workmen were attempting to slide a steel pier under the cable, to replace the wooden pier. The cribbing suddenly gave way, and the pressure from the cable hurled the wood supports in all directions. The bridge floor dropped into the river, except for a small section near the east end."
IMB states, "The original bridge collapsed into Sugar Creek in 1917... the state's Department of Natural Resources promptly replaced the old with current structure."
James Rader writes in 2008: "Three years ago flooding came up high enough to allow a couple of uprooted Sycamore trees to hit the bridge ripping out a large section of the wood railing and flooring from the middle of the bridge. Bridge was immediately closed. Structural analysis was completed and repairs were made including all new floor planks. Bridge is in great condition and should serve for many many more years to come."
Some sources suggest the bridge survived until 2010, but this appears to be unlikely. Coordinates provided are for the current Shankstown Creek crossing of Coon Box Road. The suspension bridge may have been on a slightly different alignment.
1927: Repaired by W.H. Groome and Son incorporating an improved anchoring system.
NPGallery Asset Detail - Coon Box Fork Bridge. National Register of Historic Places site survey. Presents a brief history of the bridge, but perhaps confuses the matter of its location. States: "Swinging suspension bridge and county road right-of-way along Coon Box Road where the said bridge crosses North Fork Coles Creek." Current-day (2021) Coon Box Road crosses Shankstown Creek near North Fork Coles Creek, but never crosses North Fork Coles Creek. Historic maps of the area place the mid-1900s Shankstown Creek crossing of Coon Box Fork at roughly the same location as the current crossing (the coordinates provided in this record). Looking at historic satellite images of the location, the suspension bridge was probably on an alignment no more than 100 feet north of the current Coon Box Road Shankstown Creek bridge.
This bridge was located northwest of the present-day Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge before Fontenelle. Appears to have been primarily a "sheep" bridge.
Legend has it the bridge was burned during a dispute. This likely occurred before 1955. Some sources suggest it occurred before or during 1950. The road that leads to the Texas side of the former crossing is "Burned Out Bridge Road." Follow the image of the derelict tower to see the remains of the bridge.
AUB mentions: "In January 1924, a contract was entered into with Nocona Bridge Company for a bridge across Red River, nine miles north of Nocona, connecting Texas and Oklahoma. The plans called for a 700' span, 16' roadway, and the main cables to contain 1,000 No. 9 galvanized wires each. The building of this, [the Austin Bridge Company's] first complete cable bridge, and the experience gained therefrom helped to launch Austin Bridge Company into an interesting and profitable line of work."
Sometimes referenced as "Bryant-Fannin". The bridge unquestionably connected Fannin County to Bryan County, Oklahoma, but according to a www.rootsweb.com article (Fannin County TXGenWeb - Ferry's in Fannin County, from Pat Pryor, by Kathy J. Ellis) it was erected at a site known as "Bryant's Crossing" named for a local, Dave Bryant. The Steinman inventory lists it as "Bryan-Fannin". AUB mentions it as "Bryant-Fannin". The Rootsweb article also mentions it collapsed in 1940 under weight of a truck.
An article in the December 6, 1940 issue of The Port Arthur News (Texas) titled: "Suspension Bridge Plunges Into Red River" describes the collapse: "Owners of a $75,000 tollbridge which plunged into the Red River Wednesday when a suspension cable anchor pulled loose were undecided today whether it would be rebuilt. The bridge, owned by the Austin Bridge company of Dallas, was near Telephone, Tex., 12 miles north of here, and was several miles from a principal highway. Most of the traffic from the Bonham area toward Oklahoma is across a structure built recently to replace a toll bridge at nearby Sowell's bluff that collapsed in 1930. Mrs. Jim Freeman, toll keeper, said she heard a 'rumble' and looked up to see the 'deadman anchor' pull loose, throwing the entire weight of the 1,300 foot span on the other cable. It snapped, and the flooring and steel framework of the bridge sagged into the water. No one was on the structure when it fell."
According to a rootsweb article (Fannin County TXGenWeb - Ferry's in Fannin County, from Pat Pryor, by Kathy J. Ellis), "when in 1932 this bridge fell, many people said that acid had been put on the cables to break them so that people from Oklahoma could not cross to Bonham." However, the true date of collapse may have been in 1934. The February 2, 1934 issue of The Daily Oklahoman has a front-page article with a photo of the bridge with collapsed deck. The photo is captioned: "The Red River Bridge on Highway 22 Near Durant After the Midnight Crash," and the article reads: "Here Is the debris of a $60,000 investment made by the states of Oklahoma and Texas eight months ago when they purchased the Bonham-Durant bridge across the Red river on highway 22. Three of the five spans of the 1,500-foot suspension bridge turned upside down and dropped into the river bed when a four-Inch wire cable rusted and broke in two about 15 feet from the ground on the Texas side. A lull in the usual heavy traffic across the bridge prevented accidents. The crash came at midnight, and one motorist had barely reached the Texas side when the cable gave away. Other motorists stopped their cars just in time to witness the spans of the bridge crash 40 feet into the stream. The bridge was built in 1926 and was operated as a toll bridge until 1933 when the two states bought it and made it a free crossing."
In the October 1989 edition of the Oklahoma Water News an article (excerpted from an article in The Chronicles of Oklahoma by Dr. Bernice N. Crockett) states: "On January 15, 1934, a norther of terrific force came up which cause the Sowell's Bluff Bridge to fall. At 1 a.m. the wire cables on the Fannin side of the river became twisted, then snapped, broken in half, and the entire massive structure fell into the river below -- a complete wreck."
Joseph Dice supervised the construction of this bridge to replace the 1904 structure destroyed in a tornado in 1924. A postcard of this bridge reads: "built in 1927 by the Benton County Court and by popular subscription of citizens to replace a similar bridge destroyed by a windstorm two years earlier. Structure swings on two wire cables imbedded and anchored in concrete and stone. The towers and floor beams are of steel while the floor is of wood. A state highway crosses this bridge."
Reopened for pedestrians, 2007, after being closed for several years.
The coordinates provided here indicate the approximate alignment of the bridge, about 0.5 miles southeast of the current (2020s) Des Arc White River crossing. The bridge delivered traffic near the east end of East Chester Street in Des Arc.
Damaged by flood resulting from Hell Hole Dam failure in 1965. Never repaired.
The September 30, 1932 edition of The Mountain Democrat (of Placerville, California) describes how a high line cable hanging 240 feet above the bridge site to transport people and material to the bridge site since the road (a now abandoned section of the Rubicon Road) had not been built yet: "They have a cable (Mr. Lawrence calls it a high-line") stretched across the Rubicon canyon a distance of more than 1100 feet. The cable has a "sag" of 165 feet, and some 240 feet straight down from the middle of the cable is the site of the 160-foot suspension bridge. And so, when a bridge worker goes to work, he climbs into a wooden cage, which travels out on the high-line until it is directly over the bridge site, and then the cage descends to the bottom of the canyon." About the bridge: "And that was no easy job, for the bridge is of the suspension type, has a 160-foot span, has one traffic lane and is designed to support a fifteen ton load."
1 x 34.3 meters (112.5 feet), 1 x 34.3 meters (112.4 feet)
Deck width:
20 feet
Characteristics:
Self-anchored
Notes:
Self-anchored.
2007, October: Closed for a few weeks for emergency repairs. According to an October 4, 2007 article in the Lake Sun Leader (Missouri): "a routine inspection revealed a problem in the substructure... too much movement was detected at a location underneath the north side of the bridge." Other sources mentioned a faulty "pin."
2018: Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) plans to replace the bridge and is seeking groups to take ownership of the bridge and possibly relocate it.
2020: A new bridge is completed, bypassing the suspension bridge.
2023, March: Ownership transferred from Missouri Department of Transportation to Green's Mill Historic Bridge, Inc. to preserve the since bypassed bridge.
Demolished 1989. This bridge was Steinman's attempt at a self-anchored suspension bridge and met a controversial demise in 1989. An article in the September 26, 1988 issue of the Springfield, IL "The State Journal-Register" describes the ongoing controversy. The company to which the $100,000 demolition contract was let offered to turn the money over to save the bridge. The locals agreed, but the company's Chief Engineer Stephen Schneider was quoted, "I think Indiana really wants to tear it down. They've been ... forced to send inspectors out every two weeks. I think they just want the headache gone." Gary Abell, spokesman for the Indiana Dept. Of Highways said its design is "not one of the best. It works in theory, but not in practice. This is like trying to save a mistake." After a lot of back-and-forth, the locals gave up, "We've had it with them. We don't want anything more to do with it. They can tear the damn thing down." Animosity toward this bridge continues 13 years after its demolition. In 2002, in an email to Wayne Grodkiewicz (who provided me with much information about this bridge), an INDOT representative said, "I am not sure why you are interested in that bridge, but from our stand point, it was a very poorly designed bridge that had many many problems from the day that it was completed, until it was brought down."
The suspension bridge, and later the current adjacent beam and girder bridge, are privately owned and were previously operated as toll bridges. The current bridge was closed by West Virginia in late 2007.
Ron Thompson, a member of the family who owns these structures (the suspension bridge formerly, and now the current crossing) writes: "This was a private toll bridge constructed beginning in 1939 by the Big Creek Bridge Company, a privately held corporation headquartered first in Nolan, then in Williamson. The replacement bridge next to it was constructed by the same entity. My father, along with other relatives, inherited most of the corporate stock, and for the last several years he has owned it in its entirety... My grandfather built the original suspension bridge primarily to provide a way to get coal from the surrounding hills in Pike and Martin County, Kentucky to tipples and markets in West Virginia."
Located about eight miles north of Harrison. According to plaque at bridge, restored 1977.
Gene McCluney writes: "I visited this bridge [in the Summer of 2007] and talked to an adjacent landowner a couple weeks ago. It seems this bridge was closed in 1962 due to instability in one of the piers, and the crossing reverted to a ford or low water crossing until about four years ago when the new vehicular bridge was built. So, there was a suspension bridge in-use there for 20 years, then 40 years of "low water" type crossing, then just recently a new vehicle bridge."
From the NCDOT page about this bridge: "According to state records, the western deadman was replaced in 2002 along with several hangers. The anchor cable at the deadman was replaced in 1974, but otherwise records do not identify any major repairs to or rebuilding of the structure."
Some references locate this bridge over North Sylamore Creek and most have it "north of Mountain View". The bridge is located over South Sylamore Creek about one-half mile due west of Allison, Arkansas on what is now Stone County route 283 and appropriately named Swinging Bridge Road.
Replaced a suspension bridge destroyed by Hurricane Iniki in 1992.
2022, January: Closed due to mudslide that occurred at one end of the bridge destroying the road next to the bridge and possibly damaging part of the bridge.
2022, February: Project started to repair the bridge and provide temporary pedestrian access.
"Kauai County's contractor will begin repairs for temporary pedestrian access to the Waimea Swinging Bridge… the scope of work includes restoring the section of the bridge’s pedestrian walkway, landing platform, and stairs damaged by the rockfall."
From an old Kentucky Transportation Cabinet web page: "Interested in seeing the world's longest plastic bridge? Visit Johnson County, where the 410-ft-long Forest and Maxie Preston Memorial Pedestrian Bridge recently opened. The bridge was built from a high performance composite material - glass fiber that is reinforced with plastic resins."
A University of Kentucky web page refers to the deck material as "glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites."
When completed was recognized as the "highest" bridge (of any kind) with roadway 496 meters above the lowest point (the Si Du River) below the bridge. Its height has since been surpassed.
Douglas E. McClure writes (in 2009): "This bridge span is 175 feet and was constructed a few years ago. The earlier bridge was also a swinging bridge at the same location and type, but was washed out during heavy rains. The new bridge was raised 5 feet."
Crosses some a spillway just east of I-80 just before I-80 crosses from California to Nevada. North of Mystic in Sierra County.
Jan Claire sends observations about the structure the bridge crosses: "The dam is a diverter. Water from the Truckee river is diverted into a canal which runs over to Verdi, Nevada at which point it is pumped up and over a hill and down into another river. Because this dam does not appear on the California Department of Water Resources inventory, I assume it is a long-ago-grandfathered dam operated under treaty with the state of Nevada for irrigation purposes. Satellite photos show this diverter-canal runs through what may still be, or probably was, farmland west of Verdi."
The January 3, 1975 edition of the Middlesboro Daily News (Middlesboro, Kentucky) ran a front page photo with description: "As this young woman gazes out over the water of the Cumberland River she may be contemplating the first day of sunshine In the new year. The scenic suspension bridge from which she is gazing at the icy water below is located about two miles past Bell High School on the Harlan Road." That appears to place the bridge in Pineville or very nearby based on the present day (2020) locations of Bell County High School and Harlan Road (US119).
Quon, Kristin. "Future of historic Lee County bridge up in the air." WCYB News 5, 11 March 2021, wcyb.com/news/local/future-of-historic-lee-county-bridge-up-in-the-air.
"On Tuesday, March 16th, the Lee County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing to talk about the proposed abandonment of 1.1 miles of State Route 739 (Harris Hollow Road and Hunting Club Road) from State Route 783 to .95 miles south of State Route 617... The proposed abandonment also includes the abandonment of the swinging pedestrian bridge, which is currently not in use…"
Arintok, Angelique. "Historic swinging bridge and surrounding road in Lee County won't be under new supervision." WCYB News 5, 1 May 2021, wcyb.com/news/local/historic-swinging-bridge-and-surrounding-road-wont-be-under-new-supervision.
Discussed local controversy regarding the proposed abandonment of the segment of road leading up to the bridge and the abandonment of the bridge. Local citizens were against abandonment citing historical value of the bridge.
One of two nearby likely derelict suspension bridges across arms of the Verdigris. May be a third nearby suspension bridge across the arm of the Verdigris into which Strawberry Creek flows.
One of two nearby likely derelict suspension bridges across arms of the Verdigris. May be a third nearby suspension bridge across the arm of the Verdigris into which Strawberry Creek flows.
Cecelia Viteri writes: "the bridge was built around 1920 over the Kickapoo Creek, Henderson County Texas, near a now defunct rural town of Opelika. My great-grandfather's farm bordered the creek, which is a tributary of the Neches River. I was on this bridge several times, and it was dismantled mid-1960s. It was wide enough for cars to cross it, one at a time."
(suspension bridge)
Pangjiahe Village (庞家河村), Feng County (凤县), Baoji (宝鸡市), Shaanxi, China
There was an interesting saga regarding this bridge's dismantling and reconstruction at Bridgeville. Shirley Gundlach thought he had purchased the bridge from Humboldt County and proceeded to dismantle and move the bridge to Bridgeville. After he dismantled and moved the bridge, he was informed that multiple bids were being accepted and considered and he was not the high bidder. On August 14, 1962, Mr. Gundlach worked out a deal with the high bidder to take ownership of the bridge. The comedy of the situation was not lost on the locals. The August 11, 1962 edition of the Eureka Humboldt Standard ran an article that started:
"Humboldt County has some loose bridgework today -- suspension type. It's not really missing, because everyone knows where it is, but the old bridge over the Mattole River near Petrolia isn't there any more, despite the fact the county hasn't actually sold it yet. The 'fiasco' as one county official termed it, boils down to the fact a man apparently thought he had purchased the ancient structure, had it torn down and moved, then discovered no one in county circles would admit to having given him the go-ahead. Removal of the bridge gave one supervisor, Melvin Bareilles, quite a start last Sunday when he journeyed to the Mattole to look the structure over and see if the purchaser was getting a good deal. When he got there the abutments were bare, so to speak. Bareilles' interest in the condition of the bridge stems from the fact the chagrined 'purchaser' is his brother-in-law, Shirley Gundlach of Bridgeville. Removal came as a complete surprise to him, he claims. Supervisor Elwyn L. Lindley within whose district the bridge is supposed to be located, did a 'double-take' on the bridge in Ferndale last Saturday. As he was walking down the main street of Ferndale with his wife, she noted a dismantled structure going by on a truck and commented it appeared a gas well drilling rig was being hauled away. Lindley gave it a glance and started to walk on, but then did the double-take and knew immediately it was the old bridge, with which he has been familiar since boyhood days. Charles Shaller, director of public works, says he gave no go-ahead to remove the bridge. However, he admits he 'sold' Gundlach the idea of obtaining the structure for access to subdivision land on the Van Duzen River. 'I've been trying to get rid of that old bridge for the past four years, and hadn't been able to do it anywhere,' he commented. 'I guess if any blame has to be laid on someone, it will have to be me, although I cautioned Gundlach not to remove the bridge until it was sold as required under the law.'"
Coordinates are approximate location of the inundated former location of this bridge carrying the original "Silk Road". Foundation remnants sometimes visible when reservoir level is low.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources posted an advisory, effective February 28, 2005, that this bridge was closed until further notice. This is likely a temporary closing.
Located approximately 23 miles east of Lowell near the junction of Boulder Creek and the Lochsa River.
According to an article in the September 13, 2007 edition of the Latah Eagle (Latah County, Idaho): "The suspension bridge that crosses Boulder Creek at Wilderness Gateway Campground 49 miles east of Kooskia, Idaho, off U.S. Highway 12 will be permanently closed Friday, September 14, due to structural weakness discovered recently on a routine engineering review."
Long narrow footbridge with tall narrow concrete towers.
External Links:
Nantou Dosang Suspension Bridge. Translated from page: "The Doosan Suspension Bridge was first built around 1961. It was destroyed by floods in 1986. In 1987, a new bridge was built about 50 meters upstream, and then it was disturbed by a typhoon. It was renovated again in 2011."
The bridge deck is supported by a substantial steel girder with main cables anchored directly to the girder. Unclear if the bridge is functioning as a suspension bridge.
Temporarily closed, week of January 10, 2005, because of damage due to storm. HA20050114: "A portion of the bridge has completely split apart from the end support at the town side of the bridge, said Al Afos of the county Roads Division." Appears to have reopened later in 2005.
There are at least two swinging bridge locations at Townsend, Tennessee. There have been at least two bridges at this location known as Kinzel Springs (also Sunshine) at the western end of Townsend. This entry is for the present-day (2020) of the Kinzel Springs bridges.
2019: Closed due to decaying timber structural members.
2020, June: Repairs started. Expected to be reopened in 2020.
The exact location of this bridge is unclear, but a photo in the December 6, 1937 edition of The Delta Weekly (Greenville, Mississippi) shows a short-span vehicular suspension bridge captioned, "Swinging Bridge - Panola County".
Eric Sakowski asked the Humboldt County Historical Society for information about this bridge and received this answer from Catherine Mace: "You have a good picture of the bridge over the Klamath River at Weitchpec. The large tree you see through the bridge is the gambling tree and the village of Weitchpec is the structures behind it. The road goes across and makes almost a hairpin turn to the right then it branches . To the right you go up river and to the left goes down river through Weitchpec."
Workman's Bar (named for Robert Workman) was located near the current location of the Pacific Gas and Electric Rock Creek Powerhouse. The coordinates reflect the bar observed at the present-day (2020) powerhouse, but may not be the exact location of the bridge.
This bridge was next to the present Yun Lung arch bridge. The suspension bridge towers are still visible next to the arch bridge. The arch was completed in 1982.