Cottonwood River Bridge

The county road map from 2007 shows the roads still under control of the county from both directions although the bridge doesn't show. I think with a copy of the map, a polite manner (and perhaps a hunter orange vest with a hard hat), a person could walk the roadway without anyone having a reason to hassle them.

http://www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/maps/county-pdf/marion.PDF

Remember the tick repellant!

Yes, if I still lived in Kansas, it would be nice to photograph that bridge. I am curious if it is the same as the Doyle Creek Bridge near Florence, which was replaced by a UCEB.

Sheldon, you could tell him that his private bridge will be featured on a world-class, world-famous website! And you wouldn't even be lying! :>D

I would ask him. I'm sure he would allow you to photograph the bridge if you say that you are a photographer for the Historic Bridges of the US. ;-)

Hey Robert,

Wilbert Bartel is the name of that man who owns the Bartel bridge. But I don't think he will let me go on his property to photograph the bridge. He might let you do it though.

Okay, imposter - I was making a point that if certain people like yourself can post, why not a car. James, can we get some sort of moderation on this forum? This is getting ridiculous.

Chelsea, watch it this is a public forum. Also, I was only one of the people who gave this bridge a fraction star so at least two others in the crowd felt the same way. No need to make false assumpution cause you know what that makes you.

I live in Texas now, so I won't be in the area anytime soon. Sheldon, do you know the landowners of this or the Bartel Farm Bridge? Would they let you take photographs?

Anyone close enough to get some actual photos?

I concur with the majority here......Although there has been a collective frustration with some of Sheldon's previous postings, he has improved greatly in his understanding of the type's of structures to add here.

My hat's off to those here who have stayed positive and encouraged young Sheldon through this journey.....And to the "Anonymous" minority out there I would just remind you that you were once young (perhaps you still are) and are by no means perfect in your own right.

Thank you!

I have been at a conference for the past week. I come back and see a rip on Sheldon for asking a question. This kind of degrading seems uncalled for when looking at Sheldon's recent contributions. Like it was mentioned before, Sheldon has been doing some excellent work lately and finding this structure is an excellent addition to the collection.

Good Work Sheldon!

I just rated it a 4 star, though if I found out it was really unique (ie unusual design, rare example of a particular firm, etc), I could certainly update it to a 5.

I have suspected that "Anonymous" is at work as well.

It's probably the three "Anonymous" cowards deliberately giving the bridge low ratings just because Sheldon added it...Hopefully, my 5-star rating of this structure will help out the average a bit! :>)

A fraction of a star? This one is a truss!

Thank you very much, guys. Just going to move past him.

Ignoring "Anonymous" is your best bet, Sheldon. You've been giving us great postings lately. Don't let 'em grind you down!

I agree--this is a nice find and a great example of a bridge that needs to be rediscovered so that it can be preserved rather than forgotten about and eventually scrapped. It's been fun watching Sheldon learning along with the rest of us on this site.

Time for some field work on this bridge before all the leaves are out--and time for the tick spray as well.

Sheldon great add man. I have no idea why people have to be rude. Mr. or Ms. A. Post your name for once. I do it on all my post no matter what.

Sheldon:

You are right to ignore Anonymous - (s)he does not have the courage to post under a proper name. Some anonymous poster has attacked me in the past for simply expressing opinions about the construction or design of bridges. I guess all we can do is grab some popcorn and watch anonymous continue to pout. I am sure he will attack me for this post too...

Robert

What's up with this Anonymous thing? He's blaming me for so much modern bridge posting. Now I have learned to quit posting modern bridges and search for historic or spectacular structures. I am going to ignore this Anonymous guy until he will stop blaming me or learn to use his real name.

I fully agree with Jason here--after all, nobody would know about this extant truss if it weren't for Sheldon! It's been a long time since he's posted a UCEB, and he's caught on quite nicely! Sheldon, keep up the good work!

Oh, and Anon--a real name might be nice.

HEY ANNONYMOUS! WHY DON'T YOU QUIT POSTING CRAP LIKE THIS AND SHOW THE KID A LITTLE BIT OF RESPECT! HE JUST ASKED A QUESTION AND THAT WAS IT! WE DON'T NEED PEOPLE LIKE YOU TO AGITATE THE SITUATION. IN FACT THE ONLY PERSON WHO SHOULD BE GETTING WITH THE PROGRAM IS YOU AND YOU ONLY! LET HIM DO THE WORK AND ALLOW REAL PEOPLE TO HELP HIM WHEN NEEDED! THANK YOU! Now Sheldon, we just have to get you out bridgehunting so that you can find some good historic bridges. The season is upon us and you should go out there and just do it. Happy hunting, man!

Robert, thanks for helping him out and updating him on the terminology... :-)

Sheldon, are you kidding?!!?!? I can't believe this. Where have you been for the last year when every one ripped on you for posting UCEB's

UCEB = UGLY CONCRETE EYESORE BRIDGE

Quit posting them.

Examples include a bridge you crossed on your way to school, random highway bridges, bridges on a county road close to your house. It's not hard to see what the general idea of an historic bridge is from this site.

Quit posting a culverts with 5 foot spans in a drainage ditch built in 1990, I have one of those in my driveway. If I wanted to see "EYESORES" like that I would sit and stare at my driveway but, I would rather come here and look at real historic bridges not the UCEB's you post day in and day out. Get with the program.

Sheldon:

UCEB stands for Ugly Concrete Eyesore Bridge.

Thanks for the update on this bridge - it is good to know that the truss is extant. I would not have known about this bridge if you had not added it.

What are UCEBs?

By the way, my dad used to ride across this bridge when he was little with my grandpa. Apparently this bridge was closed to traffic in the late 1970's and then the deck of the bridge was left to deteriorate and get destroyed by flooding. Of course the bridge is still there. But the deck is completely gone and all that is left is the frame of the bridge.

Exactly - this one escaped everybody's detection except Sheldon's. I can't find it in the NBI either.

This was Sheldon's find......I just happened upon it and found the Bing image. We just need to get him to concentrate on these hidden trusses out there and to leave the UCEB's alone!

Great find! It sure appears to be extant. I have searched the KSHS database and have not yet found this bridge, so it may have even escaped their detection.