|
Side view of
the suspension bridge
Photo courtesy William
Holmes, December 2007 |
Woodson, Texas
Suspension Bridge
Photographer's
Note:
I followed the countryman’s directions to find the suspension bridge.
I continued west on 209 four miles beyond Woodson, to the first paved
road, State Highway 2850. I drove south on 2850 three miles to where
the pavement peters out and forks into two dirt roads. I took the
left fork, and followed the road as it led me farther and farther
back into the sticks, deeper into a wilderness. Only the dirt road
itself, wide and well-groomed, and a few rusting remnants assured
me that this terrain was not totally untamed. The sky, which started
out mostly sunny this morning, was now covered with a gray blanket
and the temperature was hovering around 35. And I was down to 1/8
of a tank of gas. The dirt road meandered for another 3 miles, then
descended into a valley, a sure sign that a river and a bridge are
near by. Sure enough, the old suspension bridge, a beauty, loomed
into view and next to it a modern slab of concrete with low metal
rails, basically a puddle hopper. I was happy to see a farmhouse in
the distance. I crossed the new bridge, parked and got out to inspect
the relic. |
 |
| Two very rusted
metal signs, one at each end, gave notice that this old bridge is
condemned and closed to all trucks, by order of the county court.
Posts blocked the entrance at each end, but you could easily move
around them to enter the bridge on foot. There are no historical markers
or any other markers telling when the bridge was built, but the stone
pillars supporting it and the bundles of metal wires suspending it
lead me to guess the 1890s. This would put it about the same time
as the bridge down by Blue Mound. The deck is mostly sturdy wood,
with holes here and there, and two parallel metal strips laying out
a track for vehicles to roll across. The suspension rigging is not
as elaborate as the bridge at Blue Mound, but given that so few suspension
bridges are still standing in Texas and this one is so out of the
way, it is still very intriguing. The thick undergrowth and the cold
water below discouraged me from trying to see the underbelly, but
I was satisfied to walk it and take pics. As best I can tell from
a county road map (no sign at the site says so) both of these bridges,
the old and new, cross the Clear Fork of the Brazos. |
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View of the
bridge support
Photo
courtesy William
Holmes, December 2007
|
Close up view
of the bridge cable
Photo
courtesy William
Holmes, December 2007
|
| (There were no
markers telling about the bridge... I might be wrong about the bridge
crossing the Clear Fork-- the county road isn't clear... Corrections
are welcome, indeed encouraged!) - William
Holmes, December 23, 2007 |
More
view of the Brazos River Suspension Bridge
Photo
courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2004 |
More
view of the Brazos River Suspension Bridge
Photo
courtesy Barclay
Gibson, December 2004 |
| Texas
Escapes, in its purpose to preserve historic, endangered and vanishing
Texas, asks that anyone wishing to share their local history, stories,
landmarks and vintage or recent photos, please contact
us. |
|
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