McTaggart Bridge
The McTaggart Bridge
Written by Robert ElderThe Kansas State Historical Society has a webpage for a three span truss bridge that was located in Section 11, Township 33 South, Range 16 East in Montgomery County, Kansas. The page describes the bridge as being eight miles north of Coffeyville, KS. The bridge consisted of an eight panel, pin-connected Parker Camelback through truss, with a Pratt through truss on each end. The bridge was supported by massive stone pillars (probably limestone) and appeared to feature pipe railings. The main span had A-frame portal bracing.
Link to KSHS page (also in comment below): http://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?tab=details&in=125-0000-...
KSHS Photograph: http://khri.kansasgis.org/displayImage.cfm?file=125-0000-002...
One of a few online references to the McTaggart Bridge:
http://www.us-places.com/map-places.php?placeid=469395
Facts
- Overview
- Lost Camelback through truss bridge with Pratt through truss approach spans over Verdigris River
- Location
- Montgomery County, Kansas
- Status
- Lost
- History
- Built 1915; Demolished ?
- Builder
- - Rochester Bridge Co. of Rochester, Indiana
- Design
- 8 panel, pin-connected Parker Camelback through truss with two Pratt through truss approaches.
- Also called
- Verdigris River Bridge
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +37.18167, -95.62862 (decimal degrees)
37°10'54" N, 95°37'43" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 15/266650/4118262 (zone/easting/northing)
- Quadrangle map:
- Independence
- Inventory number
- BH 44396 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- November 18, 2010: Updated by Robert Elder: Edited Status and Status Description - lost.
- March 10, 2010: Essay added by Robert Elder
Comments
I was researching this bridge because in 2010, I was following my AAA TripTik to take us from Independence, KS to Mansfield, MO. It took me down 3800 to a road closed sign!
I'm still wondering how AAA got it wrong!
Interesting that I can't find when the bridge disappeared.
"The county commissioners today let a contract to the Rochester Bridge Company for rebuilding the McTaggart bridge over the Verdigris, destroyed by a cyclone several months ago. The price agreed ujon is $1,725"
Apparently, here's a little more info on this bridge.
Source;
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/92274908/
November 23, 1914
The Evening Star from Independence, Kansas · Page 8
Screenshot included shows OCR of relevant text.
I am a descendant of the family for which this bridge was named. There was a mill nearby on the base of the Verdigris River called McTaggart Mill where nearby farmers brought their corn and wheat. My great grandfather, Daniel McTaggart, founded Liberty, Kansas, and built the mill on the river bank.
The bridge in the picture is mc taggart bridge. As I commented earlier you can see the dam in the background. First picture I have ever seen of this bridge. Nice to see.
This bridge was demolished. What you see in the satellite pictures is a four foot tall dam that expans the width of the river. Except the middle six feet is missing. The pillars were made of sandstone. Many of the blocks are still on the west bank. My family owned the farmland west of this bridge for generations. I was told that the first settlers came across this ford where the bridge was eventually built. Before that it was used by native Americans to cross the verdigris. I have fount arrowheads in the immediate area.
This bridge probably matches this one from the KSHS site because the location appears to match (Sec 11, T33s, R16e:
http://khri.kansasgis.org/index.cfm?tab=details&in=125-0000-...
I will write an essay about this bridge shortly, but to make a long story short, I had previously considered this bridge to be lost.
This page's URL is http://bridgehunter.com/ks/montgomery/mctaggart/
KDOT has past county maps online. The 1987 map shows the road crossing the river, in 1998 the symbol for a gate is on either side of the river, and 2010 shows a gate on the west side and the road ends short of the river on the east.