| |
Erath
County
BLUFF DALE SUSPENSION BRIDGE
Bluff
Dale, Texas
Research by Jim & Lou Kinsey
Photos
courtesy Barclay Gibson & Jim & Lou Kinsey |
"County
Road 149 at the Paluxy River, vicinity of Bluff
Dale, Texas
In 1891, Texas bridge builder William Flinn assembled
this highly unusual cable-stayed bridge using iron pipes, rods and castings. Wrapped
wire cables complete the 140-foot invention. Crossing the Paluxy River near rural
Bluff Dale. This technological wonder remains
as the earliest known cable-stayed bridge in the United States." - Jim
& Lou Kinsey, 2003 |
Historical
Marker Text:Bluff
Dale Suspension BridgeFor
at least 20 years vehicles had to ford the Paluxy River to reach Bluff
Dale and points west. Wagon traffic increased after the Fort Worth & Rio Grande
Railroad line reached the town in 1889. This iron bridge began to serve the public
by spanning the Paluxy about 1891, on the main access road that became State Highway
10 and later U.S. 377. By 1933 arterial highway travel demanded a wider bridge.
In 1934 authorities moved the "swinging" bridge 1.5 miles upstream where it serves
local traffic. |
The
Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2008 |
Another
view of the Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge
Photo courtesy Barclay
Gibson, February 2008 |
The Lost Through
Truss Bridge On CR 159: | |
|
