Silver Creek Sec. 3 Truss Bridge

Nathan:

Good thought concerning the similar bridges in Oklahoma. The only major difference I can see is this one has every panel countered whereas the Oklahoma examples do not seem to have those extra counters. The lacing on the verticals varies a bit between the trusses as well. Otherwise, the bridges are certainly very similar. The idea that a truss could have been moved across the state line seems quite plausible.

Also, for those who might not be familiar with this area, Cowley County preferred to use Stone Arch Bridges instead of truss bridges for small crossings. In the early 1900s, the county would have been much more likely to have installed a Stone Arch Bridge instead of a truss bridge at this location. The Silver Creek and Grouse Creek valleys were popular locations for Stone Arch Bridges to be installed so a truss bridge looks a little bit out of place here.

When looking at the concrete substructure on this bridge, I begin to wonder if it might have been moved to this area sometime around World War II perhaps.

This is an interesting find. Note how close it is to Oklahoma. Well, there are (or were) nearly identical examples in Oklahoma of this same style. So I'm not sure if its the design of a builder, or if its a state design that moved over state lines.

http://bridgehunter.com/ok/kay/123850000000000/

http://bridgehunter.com/ok/kay/123840000000000/

http://bridgehunter.com/ok/kay/45500000000000/

wo....very cool !!

Great Find! This one is worthy of a wall of text!

Seriously, this bridge is a bit more significant than you might think. At first glance, it just looks like a pin connected Parker pony truss. Indeed, it is a pin connected Parker Pony Truss.

That being said, this one has at least one rare detail; it features an inclined, or you might say polygonal, bottom cord. Most bottom chords are flat and parallel to the deck. This bottom chord is neither because it is inclined at the end panels.

The bridge has a couple other interesting features as well. For one thing, the top chord features five slopes. This means that it is a true Camelback Truss. The Camelback configuration is less common than a standard Parker Truss. In addition, every full panel on this bridge is countered.

The Kansas default date of Circa 1910 is probably not far off in this case. I doubt that it's newer than 1910 or at least not much newer. On the other hand, I have my doubts that it is pre 1900 because from what I can tell, Parker trusses did not become widespread until about 1900.

My suspicion is that this bridge was probably built sometime between 1900 and 1910. On the other hand, perhaps it could potentially be as old as Circa 1890 or as new as Circa 1915, but for now I won't argue too much with the Kansas default date of Circa 1910.

pretty one, great elevation.....despite map, this road turns private about 100 yds north and there is no thru-connection traveling in that direction