Cotter Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Cotter Bridge, also known as the R.M. Ruthven Bridge and the White River Concrete Arch Bridge, carries the business route of U.S. Route 62 across the White River
west of the city of Cotter
in Baxter County
, Arkansas
, USA. Upon completion, the bridge allowed access to a part of The Ozarks
previously undiscovered by motorists. Constructed in 1930, it is the only bridge built by the Marsh Engineering Company
of Des Moines, Iowa
in the state of Arkansas.
. The river would rise and fall very quickly, which caused the ferry to be very unreliable. Baxter County
residents wanted a bridge, but were opposed to the use of toll to pay for it. Once it became apparent that the federal road U.S. Route 62
would replace Arkansas Highway 12 through the area, bridge interest reached a peak. The federal road would bring an economic boom to the tourist-themed Ozarks that had not been developed, but the funding was still not available due to Arkansas' lack of a central road authority. The state approved the use of toll bridges in 1927, as long as they became free upon payment of the debt. Judge R.M. Ruthven concealed a damning feasibility report from the Highway Commission, which would've resulted in the bridge being built elsewhere. Twenty years later, he allegedly mailed the report to the Commission anyway. President Calvin Coolidge
signed the bridge into construction on May 2, 1928, and upon approval by the War Department, the bridge was contracted to James Barney Marsh
.
in 1929, and they used as much local labor as possible. A cable system was used to avoid problems with the mercurial river. The company installed lights, and worked around the clock in order to prevent delays. The bridge was dedicated on November 11, 1930, but for months the residents of Cotter continued to use the free ferry system rather than pay the toll. The Highway Department even had to threaten the community with retracted funding unless the residents began using the bridge.
as structure #90000518.
White River (Arkansas)
The White River is a 722-mile long river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri.-Course:The source of the White River is in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest southeast of Fayetteville...
west of the city of Cotter
Cotter, Arkansas
Cotter is a city in Baxter County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 970 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally, the river bend was known as Lake's Ferry. In 1905, the Missouri Pacific Railroad bought the area and sold over one thousand lots, mostly to railroad employees. The city was...
in Baxter County
Baxter County, Arkansas
Baxter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is in the northern part of the state, and shares a border with Missouri. It is commonly referred to as the Twin Lakes Area because it is bordered by two of Arkansas' largest lakes, Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, USA. Upon completion, the bridge allowed access to a part of The Ozarks
The Ozarks
The Ozarks are a physiographic and geologic highland region of the central United States. It covers much of the southern half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northwestern and north central Arkansas...
previously undiscovered by motorists. Constructed in 1930, it is the only bridge built by the Marsh Engineering Company
Marsh Engineering Company
The Marsh Engineering Company was a company that designed many significant bridges in the United States, including 7 that survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was located in Des Moines, Iowa....
of Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
in the state of Arkansas.
Getting a bridge in Cotter
Cotter was established in 1905 as a railroad town. The area used a ferry system to cross the vast White River, with the nearest road crossing being 100 miles (160.9 km) north in Branson, MissouriBranson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
. The river would rise and fall very quickly, which caused the ferry to be very unreliable. Baxter County
Baxter County, Arkansas
Baxter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. It is in the northern part of the state, and shares a border with Missouri. It is commonly referred to as the Twin Lakes Area because it is bordered by two of Arkansas' largest lakes, Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake...
residents wanted a bridge, but were opposed to the use of toll to pay for it. Once it became apparent that the federal road U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 62
U.S. Route 62 runs from the US-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas to Niagara Falls, New York, near the United States-Canada border. It is the only east-west US Route that connects Mexico and Canada.Parts of U.S...
would replace Arkansas Highway 12 through the area, bridge interest reached a peak. The federal road would bring an economic boom to the tourist-themed Ozarks that had not been developed, but the funding was still not available due to Arkansas' lack of a central road authority. The state approved the use of toll bridges in 1927, as long as they became free upon payment of the debt. Judge R.M. Ruthven concealed a damning feasibility report from the Highway Commission, which would've resulted in the bridge being built elsewhere. Twenty years later, he allegedly mailed the report to the Commission anyway. President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
signed the bridge into construction on May 2, 1928, and upon approval by the War Department, the bridge was contracted to James Barney Marsh
James Barney Marsh
James Barney Marsh was an engineer and bridge designer born in North Lake, Wisconsin. He was a graduate of Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts in Ames....
.
Construction and opening of the Cotter Bridge
The bridge was contracted to a company from Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in 1929, and they used as much local labor as possible. A cable system was used to avoid problems with the mercurial river. The company installed lights, and worked around the clock in order to prevent delays. The bridge was dedicated on November 11, 1930, but for months the residents of Cotter continued to use the free ferry system rather than pay the toll. The Highway Department even had to threaten the community with retracted funding unless the residents began using the bridge.
Today
The Cotter Bridge was once proposed to be replaced, but area residents protested, and instead a new bridge was built north of the area. U.S. Route 62 now runs on the new bridge, where the former alignment of US 62 exists today as U.S. Route 62 Business through downtown Cotter. It was Arkansas' first National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. In 1990, it was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as structure #90000518.
Sources
- HAER Record AR0073 HAER Item: Cotter Bridge- Structure number 90000518