Ferries, Bridges Span State's Travel History

July 18, 2000


Ferries, Bridges Span
State's Travel History
*****
By Craig Ogilvie, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Arkansas once had more "moving bridges" than real bridges. Early travelers had several nicknames for the clumsy ferryboats that operated only when conditions were right. Ranging from crude log rafts to well-made flatboats, ferries could not run during extremely high or low water periods.

However, owning and operating one of the hundreds of ferryboats plying the state's waterways was an honorable profession that lasted well past the World War II era. The last privately owned ferry in Arkansas, along Hwy. 37 at the Jackson-Independence county line, was replaced by a modern concrete span over the Black River in 1979.

One at a time, bridges replaced the slow, outdated ferryboats until in 1968, only 17 crafts were operating in the state. By 1986, the number was down to four, and today only one remains. Peel Ferry, operated by the state Highway and Transportation Department, operates on a section of Bull Shoals Lake and carries traffic along Highway 125 on its way to and from Missouri. During their final heydays in Arkansas, ferries were modern steel-constructed flatboats powered by motors and considered fairly safe...when river conditions allowed.

Early bridges also displayed a wide range of building techniques. Constructed of logs and stone, most were carried away by floods that plagued major Arkansas rivers prior to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-constructed dams of the 1940s and 50s. One of the first state-authorized bridges was built over the Ouachita River at Rockport (near Malvern) in 1846. It cost $20,000 and was washed away two years later. All of Arkansas' primary rivers remained unbridged until after the Civil War.

Better materials and advanced building techniques arrived with the 20th century and the state has a few examples that serve as reminders of another time in our past. Many visitors are intrigued by the craftsmanship displayed in the various spans. Here are some examples: The R.M. Ruthven Bridge at Cotter was built in 1929-30, and is perhaps the most picturesque in the state. Better known as the "rainbow arch bridge," the concrete and steel landmark spans the White River to connect Marion and Baxter counties. Until a new bridge opened upstream in 1988, the downtown Cotter bridge was part of U.S. 62, a major east-west route through the region. With five graceful arches, the bridge was reportedly the first in the state to be illuminated at night. In 1986, the National Society of Civil Engineers named the bridge a National Engineering Landmark and it is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Presently, a move is underway to restore the 70-year-old structure.

Swinging bridges were in vogue during the early 1900s and many ferryboats across the nation were replaced by a platform suspended from steel cables. The Sylamore Swinging Bridge, north of Mountain View in Stone County, is one of very few remaining in the Ozarks. Built in 1914, the bridge has been damaged by several floods and was bypassed by Hwy. 14 in 1970. Local efforts have saved the historic span each time it was threatened. During one restoration, steel beams were placed under the wooden deck to reinforce the structure. Only 12 feet wide, the Sylamore bridge has always been for "one-way" traffic. Today, it is part of the county road system and open to the public.

The Civilian Conservation Corps, a depression-era jobs program for young men, built several stone and heavy-timber bridges across the state. A fine example is maintained at the Blanchard Spring Recreational Use Area in the Sylamore District of the Ozark National Forest. The beautifully arched stone bridge, with raised sidewalls, is located beneath the mountaintop visitor center at Blanchard Springs Caverns. The trail to the huge spring starts at the bridge site.

The oldest existing bridge in Arkansas is probably an iron suspension structure, with wooden deck, that spans the North Cadron Creek near Springfield (Conway County). Originally built in 1874, the bridge connects Conway and Faulkner counties, and is not open to traffic. A 1909 overhead-truss steel bridge is still in public use on an Independence County road, south of Magness.

Little Rock's Broadway Bridge, over the Arkansas River, was built in 1922-23 and has undergone several renovations over the decades. Reportedly, the first span of the river was made in 1863 when Union troops placed a pontoon bridge in service as part of the occupation of the capital city.

The first permanent bridge at Little Rock was built in 1873, for trains only. Known as the Baring Cross Bridge, it was named for the London bankers who financed its construction. It was 1897 before the first steel bridge for wagon traffic opened over the Arkansas River at Little Rock.

Dardanelle's famous "floating bridge" across the Arkansas River opened in 1891 and was proclaimed as the longest of its type in the world. It was supported by 72 pontoons in 13 sections that could be separated and towed to the shoreline during high water periods. A steel bridge opened at Dardanelle in 1929, and a modern concrete bridge now serves as part of Scenic Highway 7.

Classic examples of early 20th century steel-truss railroad bridges can be seen at Norfork and Cotter. The often-photographed trestles were built in the early 1900s as the railroad was built along the White River between Batesville and Cotter.

The longest and most expensive early 20th century traffic bridge in the state was built over a flood plain, not water. The Harahan Viaduct at the approach to the Mississippi River bridge at West Memphis is three miles long and cost several million dollars. The more modern I-40 viaduct is about the same length.

In 1936, Arkansas had only 250 bridges that measured more than 200 feet in length. Today, the state maintains about 7,000 bridges and inspects thousands of others for cities and counties.
 

Submitted by the Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201, (501) 682-7606
E-mail: info@arkansas.com

May be used without permission. Credit line is appreciated:
"Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism"