Esch's Spur Bridge
Essay
Written by Clark VanceEsch's Spur probably refers to Bernard P. Esch, Stockraiser, Liberty Township, Section 33, named in the 1905 Geo A. Ogle & Co atlas. The map of Liberty township shows the 1/4 section to the north of this road owned by (Wm. H.?) Kirk and to the south by Catherine Esch, with the residence of B. P. Esch. A short piece of rail runs parallel to the Missouri Pacific line and is labeled Esch Spur.
Facts
- Overview
- Three-span stone arch bridge over Grouse Creek, southwest of Dexter
- Location
- Cowley County, Kansas
- Status
- Open to Pedestrian traffic only
- History
- Built 1913
- Builder
- - Walter Sharp Bridge Co.
- Design
- Stone arch
- Dimensions
-
Length of largest span: 50.9 ft.
Total length: 182.1 ft.
Deck width: 13.1 ft.
- Recognition
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on July 2, 1985
- Also called
- Kirk Bridge
Pudden Bridge - Approximate latitude, longitude
- +37.13547, -96.78136 (decimal degrees)
37°08'08" N, 96°46'53" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 14/697068/4112204 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Eaton
- Land survey
- T. 33 S., R. 6 E., Sec 33
- Elevation
- 1137 ft. above sea level
- Average daily traffic (as of 2014)
- 25
- Inventory numbers
- NRHP 85001423 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
KS 000180881506945 (Kansas local bridge number on the National Bridge Inventory)
BH 17627 (Bridgehunter.com ID) - Inspection report (as of February 2016)
- Overall condition: Fair
Superstructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Substructure condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Deck condition rating: Fair (5 out of 9)
Sufficiency rating: 45.1 (out of 100)
View more at BridgeReports.com
Update Log
- January 29, 2020: New photos from Rob Brock
- September 20, 2019: New photo from Jeff Smail
- June 12, 2019: New photos from Jeff Smail
- November 5, 2018: New photos from Jeff Smail
- April 23, 2018: New photo from Jeff Smail
- February 3, 2017: New photos from Nick Schmiedeler
- October 1, 2016: Essay added by Clark Vance
- September 28, 2016: New photo from steve tredway
- December 24, 2014: New photo from steve tredway
- February 5, 2010: Updated by Robert Elder: Adjusted GPS Coordinates.
- November 8, 2009: New photo from Mike LeMasters
Sources
- Mike LeMasters
- Robert Elder - robertelder1 [at] gmail [dot] com
- steve tredway
- NRHP paperwork
- Liberty Township, Page 043, Atlas: Cowley County 1905, Kansas Historical Map - Adjacent property owners, Esch and Kirk, plus the short "Esch's spur"
- Clark Vance - cvance [at] dogmail [dot] com
- Nick Schmiedeler - nick [at] nickschmiedeler [dot] com
- Jeff Smail
- Rob Brock - k0pvw [dot] mobile [at] gmail [dot] com
Comments
I ventured out today to view this bridge and the unfortunate side is this bridge is about to be a lost bridge. The hole in the deck now allows you about 18" on he south side of the bridge to walk across. I am afraid the next good flood that Grouse Creek receives it will claim yet another magnificent bridge. I will post a couple photos when I get time to edit them.
I have posted a picture of the plaque. Built in 1913. It is called the Kirks bridge. Esch's Spur referred to the rail line that passed near there. You can read the rest on the plaque.
There is an inscription on the upstream side of what has come to be known as "Esch's Spur" bridge. It reads: KIRK BRIDGE. At least, I think it does. Plus, there are several more lines of information that we could not discern. Anyone able to read more? There is so much debris abutted against the bridge now that it might be able to climb up to the inscription and take a rubbing!
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/ks/cowley/eschs-spur/
Sad reminder of a similar situation that happened near me a few years back...
http://bridgehunter.com/in/shelby/middletown/