HAER Documents

The Pawpaw Creek Parker Pony Truss Bridge was constructed in 1911 by the Illinois Steel Bridge Company of Jacksonville, Illinois, as a one-lane vehicular bridge over Pawpaw Creek in Craig County.

The Paw Paw Creek Warren with Polygonal Pony Truss Bridge constructed in 1909.  The Paw Paw Creek Bridge is a rare example of a Warren with Polygonal Pony Truss Bridge built by the Illinois Steel Bridge Company of Jacksonville, Illinois. It is an unusual example of a Warren, with five slopes on the top chord, similar to that found in a Camelback, as well as a fishbelly bottom chord.

The Childres Creek Pratt Half-Hip Pony Truss Bridge was constructed between 1909 and 1911 by the Massillon Bridge and Structural Company of Massillon, Ohio. The structure is a good example of its type and is a representative example of the work done by the bridge company, a rare builder for Oklahoma bridges. Furthermore, the structure demonstrates a pattern of development associated with the oil industry in Creek County during the early 1900s.

The Sand Creek Pratt Pony Truss Bridge was constructed in 1913 by the Kansas City Bridge Company of Kansas City, Missouri. The structure is a good example of its type and is significant because it illustrates the development of Bristow, Oklahoma.

The Dry Creek Bridge is an unusual example of a small bridge constructed by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company, known for its work on large railroad and highway bridges across the southwest. It is a notable example of a Pratt with Half Hip Pony Truss Bridge, a modified form of a Pratt Pony popular for its economy of materials and its reliability.

The Sand Creek Camelback Pony Truss Bridge, built in 1936, is a rare example of a six-panel, Camelback pony truss bridge in north central Oklahoma. Most bridges of this design type have five panels per span. The bridge is also a Works Progress Administration (WPA) bridge that provided the state with improved infrastructure, while at the same time, employing out-of-work citizens during the depression. The Sand Creek Camelback Pony Truss Bridge was part of a vital farm to market route (E0180) that allowed farmers and ranchers from the community of Hawley access to supplies, and a market for selling their livestock and farm products in larger towns such as Nash, Medford, and Pond Creek.

The Red River Warren with Verticals Pony Truss was constructed in 1927 by the Austin Bridge Company of Dallas, Texas. Initial plans for the bridge’s construction were for the sole purpose of carrying an 18-inch pipeline across the Red River for the Lone Star Gas Company. However, the gas company offered to collaborate with Harmon County to construct a one-lane wagon bridge if the county agreed to contribute $10,000 toward its construction. Ultimately, a 1,402-foot Warren Truss wagon bridge was constructed. This unusually long one-lane bridge is the longest Warren Truss bridge crossing the Red River and demonstrates a unique collaboration between the gas company and the citizens of Harmon County.

The Unnamed Creek Six-Span Reinforced Concrete Slab with Masonry Piers WPA Bridge was constructed in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Located approximately 500 feet east of the bridge is an associated culvert. The culvert was also constructed by the WPA, but the date stamp reads 1939. Both structures serve as good examples of drainage structures constructed in a rural area by the WPA during the 1930s.

The bridge carries SH 79 over the Red River between Jefferson County, Oklahoma, and Clay County, Texas. Constructed in 1939, it has 21 identical Camelback pony truss main spans, each with a length of 100 feet, and an overall structure length of 2,255 feet. The structure length and overall magnitude of the SH 79 at Red River Bridge represent a large project completed under the auspices of the Oklahoma Highway Commission (OHC), indicating a significant commitment of funding and comparatively great technical achievement compared to other bridges of its type and period of construction in Oklahoma. While the Camelback pony truss was a relatively common bridge type in Oklahoma during the 1920s and 1930s, it is considered a rare bridge type in Texas.

The SH 79 at Red River Bridge was determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1993 by ODOT. TxDOT nominated the bridge for listing in the NRHP under Criterion A for significance in the area of Transportation (specifically relating to its ties to regional economic development) and under Criterion C for significance in the area of Engineering. The bridge was listed in the NRHP on December 20, 1996.

The Salt Fork of the Arkansas River Bridge is a distinctive example of an Oklahoma state-standard bridge design representative of the work of the Oklahoma State Highway Commission and the development of the state highway system. It is also a contributing resource to the NRHP-listed 101 Ranch Historic District because of the importance of transportation and the Salt Fork of the Arkansas River in this ranch’s history.

The bridge is located off County Road 149 on County Road 138 over Caston Creek near Wister in LeFlore County, Oklahoma. It was completed on July 25, 1924. This bridge is a good example of a large bridge of three pin-connected Pratt through trusses with curved portal brackets intact. Pratt trusses are rare in LeFlore and surrounding counties.

Located off of County Road 161 on County Road 159 over Brazil Creek near Bokoshe in LeFlore County, Oklahoma, this bridge was constructed in 1911. In a previous survey (date unknown), it was noted that per an interview with Veldo Brewer (ODOT engineer, 8/10/1992), this bridge was taken from the old Lexington-Purcell toll bridge, which was dismantled in the late 1930s.

The Poteau River Bridge is located off of County Road 192/State Highway 128 on County Road 4812 over the Poteau River near Loving in LeFlore County, Oklahoma. The bridge was constructed in 1910 and moved to its current location in 1935. This is one of only three known Pennsylvania (petit) through truss bridges in the state.

The Cottonwood Creek Warren Through Truss Bridge was constructed 1906-1908, as a one-lane vehicular bridge over Cottonwood Creek in Logan County, Oklahoma. With few examples of the Warren Through Truss design remaining in Oklahoma, the structure is a good representative example of its type. Furthermore, the structure demonstrates a pattern of rural development in Logan County during the early 1900s.

The Walnut Creek Bridge is located off of 260th Street on Western Avenue over Walnut Creek in the Washington vicinity of McClain County, Oklahoma. This bridge is believed to be a span from the old Norman Toll Bridge, constructedin 1913.

The Cloud Creek Warren with polygonal top chord pony truss is significant because of its construction by the Vincennes Bridge Company, an important builder; because it is a rare bridge design; and because it is a good example of the development of the transportation system in Muskogee County. Spans Cloud Creek on section line road EW-93 approximately 1 mile northeast of Boynton.

This Cloud Creek bridge is significant for its rare Warren with polygonal top chord pony truss design and for its construction by a nationally important bridge company, the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company. Spans Cloud Creek on section line road EW- 95, approximately 1/2 mile southeast of Boynton.

The Grand/Neosho Bridge is considered a significant example of engineering associated with a relatively uncommon bridge type within Oklahoma, the modified Parker through truss.

The Stidham Creek Double Intersection Warren Pony Truss Bridge was constructed in 1910 by the Missouri Valley Bridge and Iron Company of Leavenworth, Kansas. The structure is a one-lane vehicular bridge crossing Stidham Creek in southeast Okfuskee County, Oklahoma. The design of the bridge truss, a Double Intersecting Warren Pony, is a rare type and the only known existing example in Oklahoma. Furthermore, the Stidham Creek Bridge is a good representative example of the bridge company and demonstrates a pattern of development in Okfuskee County during early statehood.

The Smith Creek Steel Stringer Bridge was previously thought to have been constructed in 1940 by the WPA; however, archival research conducted at the Oklahoma County Clerk’s Office revealed the structure was constructed in 1927 by J. W. Williams, a local contractor. Although the bridge is no longer significant for its association with the WPA, it does serve as an example of a concrete steel girder bridge constructed during the late 1920s, a period of growth and expansion in Oklahoma County.

This is the only bridge with a Pratt through truss in Okmulgee County and is located off of N3850 Road on McKeown Road over Deep Fork River near Nuyaka, Oklahoma. The Deep Fork River Bridge carries vehicular traffic over the creek. The bridge was constructed circa 1908 and is a Pratt through truss with eight timber girders and four steel stringer approaches. The total length of the bridge is 408 feet, with the longest span being 120 feet. The total width of the bridge is approximately 14 feet. The full length of the bridge has timber decking and has a unique curve of the timber girder spans.

The Coon Creek Warren with Verticals Pony Truss Bridge was constructed in 1919–1920, by the Rochester Bridge Company of Rochester, Indiana. The structure is a good example of its type and is a representative example of the work done by the bridge company’s regional office located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Furthermore, the structure demonstrates a pattern of development associated with the oil industry in Osage County during the 1910s–1920s.

The Stepps Ford Bridge is the oldest example of a Pratt Through Truss Bridge in the State of Oklahoma. Originally constructed as a toll crossing over the Neosho River near downtown Miami, the bridge was removed to its current location over the river in the 1920s after being purchased by Ottawa County.

The Connor Bridge over the Neosho River is significant because it exemplifies the development of the transportation system in Ottawa County, in particular, transportation associated with this county’s primary waterways.

The Spring River Bridge is a notable example of a Warren with Verticals Deck Truss Bridge. One of approximately only five such bridges remaining across the state, this relatively rare bridge type is further significant because of its picturesque location and its association with flood control and transportation history in rural Ottawa County.

The Coal Creek Truss Leg Bedstead Pony Truss Bridge was constructed in 1907 by the Canton Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, as a one-lane vehicular bridge over Coal Creek in Pawnee County, Oklahoma. Due to the self-supporting vertical endposts of the leg bedstead type, which made it easy to install and inexpensive to construct, counties found it favorable for improving rural roads during the early 1900s. The Coal Creek Bridge is a good example of its type and embodies design characteristics typical of the Canton Bridge Company, including the large exposed nuts attaching the diagonals to the top chord.

The Arkansas River Parker Through Truss illustrates the importance of bridges to adjacent towns that depended upon the commerce that they brought. It is also a good example of the work of an Oklahoma bridge-building company, the J. B. Klein Iron and Foundry Company of Oklahoma City.

The Clear Creek Pratt Pony Truss Bridge is a one-lane vehicular bridge crossing Clear Creek along Road E0690 in the far southeast corner of Payne County, Oklahoma. The structure was built in 1905 by the Midland Bridge Company of Kansas City, Missouri. The Pratt Pony Truss exhibited on the Clear Creek Bridge was a popular type of truss used frequently by bridge builders for its structural reliability and easy assembly. Bridges constructed using the Pratt Pony Truss commonly ranged from 50 to 100 feet in length. The Clear Creek Bridge, measuring 80 feet in length, is an excellent example of a Pratt Pony Truss and a good representative example from the bridge builder. Furthermore, as a structure located in a historically rural area, the bridge demonstrates a pattern of rural development in Payne County during the early 1900s.

The Coal Creek Mixed Truss Bridge is located on Road N4040, also known as Lake McAlester Road, over Coal Creek in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. The bridge, constructed in 1927, was built to replace a previously existing bridge washed away by heavy flood waters in April of that year. The truss system exhibited on the Coal Creek bridge is a combination of a modified Pratt through truss flanked by Camelback pony trusses, a combination not commonly found. Thus, as an unaltered structure, the Coal Creek Mixed Truss Bridge is a unique example of its type.

The bridge is located off of Indian Nation Turnpike on E1570 Road over Brushy Creek near Blanco in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. This bridge is among the first examples of camelback pony trusses with two steel stringer approach spans constructed in the 1920s.

The Bird Creek Mixed Truss Bridge—the more westerly of two adjacent bridges (left side in the image below) —is located on Route 66 over Bird Creek (previously Verdigris River, but redesignated Bird Creek due to the construction of the Port of Catoosa ca. 1969) northeast of Catoosa in Rogers County, Oklahoma. The bridge was constructed in 1936, as a six-span mixed truss and exhibits three Camelback pony trusses and three K-through trusses.

During construction of the Bird Creek Mixed Truss Bridge, Route 66 was realigned to eliminate dangerous curves, moving the road and bridge crossing approximately 800 feet (ft) east of its original alignment. Due to increased traffic, Route 66 was widened in 1956 to a four-lane highway and a second bridge was constructed on the southeast side of the Bird Creek Mixed Truss Bridge. The second bridge, constructed by Guy H. James of Oklahoma City, was built with the same truss configuration as the 1936 bridge, but with a wider roadway to meet new state standards. Nearly identical in appearance, the two bridges were dubbed the “Twin Bridges” or “Sister Bridges.” 

The Lee Creek K Through Truss Bridge is located on State Highway (SH) 101 crossing Lee Creek in northeast Sequoyah County, Oklahoma. This single-span bridge constructed in 1946 was built to replace a previously existing bridge over Lee Creek washed away by flood waters in 1945. The replacement bridge was built using a K Through Truss, a standard design used by the state of Oklahoma from the early 1930s through the 1950s.

The Hominy Creek Bridge is a notable example of a K Through Truss Bridge built by the Standard Paving Company. This truss design was a standardized design introduced in Oklahoma in the 1930s and used across the state through the 1950s.  Although K-Trusses are common in Oklahoma, interestingly, they are quite rare in other part of the U.S.