This bridge was completed on Oct. 13, 1912. Shown are Del Terry, Eslie Terry, Arthur Carroll, Curt Brown (builder), J.J. McCoy, C. Schapaugh, Harry Wynne (teams), Vora Wynne. The south team is Harry Wynne’s; the north team is J.J. McCoy’s. (courtesy Imo Brown)

Road repairs in 1913 were quite different than in more modern times. Frequently the work focused on dirt work approaches to culverts or small bridges found on dirt roads. The work here was done on Andy Smith hill. The tractor belongs to Floyd S. Tuggle who donated its use for the work. Henry Carter led efforts to finance the project. Others shown are George W. Lockridge, county highway engineer, along with several other men and teams of horses engaged in the work.

 

Travel on roadways during yesteryear wasn’t so heavy as to disallow some thrill seekers to climb upon the steel trusses of local bridges. This photo, taken by local photographer Hubert Long of Gallatin, shows a bridge climber on the bridge once spanning the Grand River. (date unknown)

A postcard scene of the Rock Island railroad bridge spanning the Grand River east of Gallatin, MO, commonly known as Wabash Crossing. (date unknown)

This steel truss, wooden plank wagon bridge once spanned the Grand River at Wabash Crossing east of Gallatin, MO.

This bridge once spanned the Grand River near Jameson, MO (date unknown)

Leland Stitt looks on the rising flood waters of the Grand River, standing on the Lewis Mill Bridge near Jameson. On the bridge beam, above the arm of Dale Alexander, is the high water mark of the 1909 flood; below his arm is the high water mark of the 1947 flood. The 1973 flood crest was approximately 32 inches lower than the 1909 mark.

Trains weren’t the only things to go across the Grand River on the railroad bridge near Gallatin, MO. Sometimes cars and other vehicles ventured across the span, providing that the wheelbase allowed tires to roll between the rails. (date unknown)

Many bridges in Daviess County as well as throughout Missouri were in use far past their life expectancy. Wooden planks laid over steel truss frameworks was construction common to the 1930s era. If flooding didn’t sweep these bridge structures away, then destruction often occurred due to aging collapse. Though picturesque in a rustic sort of way, these bridges were inadequate for modern transportation purposes. (date unknown)

A pre-Civil War gristmill, operated by John & William Lewis, was located 3 miles west of Jameson on the Grand River. Farmers brought grain to be ground and merchants came to buy grain, flour and meal for their stores. Remains of the mill were discovered in 1989 when the nearby Lewis Mill bridge (shown here by artist drawing) was being replaced.

The Maloney Bridge located on a gravel road off Route Z west of Pattonsburg closed in March, 1993, after travelers discovered the bridge had dropped 4-5 inches. This bridge, built in 1920, was typical of the old iron bridges that were rated with low or now load capacity by the state ih 1979. Here Daviess County Commissioner Bill Arthaud looks over the bridge which was upgraded to a 3-ton load limit after repairs were completed in October, 1992. Bridge replacement across the Grand River was only possible using federal government funding.

This bridge is an example of concrete slab bridges built prior to 1945 in deteriorating condition as identified by MoDOT in 2016. This bridge (S0442) was located on MO-190 E at Clear Creek in Daviess County, MO. It was built in 1932, one of two bridges in the county targeted by the MoDOT studies.

Although picturesque, by 1963 the Guthrie Bridge at Jameson was typical of the outdated steel frame wooden-plank bridge crossings located throughout rural North Missouri. The bridge was swept downstream during the flood of 1993 and replaced with a concrete span in 1996 (the replacement bridge crosses the river upstream).

Many bridges like this spanning the Grand River were swept away during the Floods of 1993. Steel frame, wooden plank bridges were builg for a simpler day. This is typical of many bridges built during the 1930s throughout North Missouri.

This scene shows a county bridge replacement project near Lock Springs, MO.

Bridge K0170