I just realized that I stumbled around and left the C of of SCENIC Can anyone tell me how to correct the spelling in the Thread Title?
Re: Central Divison senic postcards When you make a post, there's an "edit" button in the lower right hand corner. Click that and make your corrections. Not sure if you can correct the title though. Tom
Re: Central Divison Scenic Postcards Part of my abilities as a Moderator/sub-administrator is doing minor "touch-ups". Glad to be of assistance. You might try clicking on the Edit button on your original post and see if the Go Advanced button appears. If so, you can correct the thread title there.
Thanks for fixing it for me. I make jokes about my 80+ year old mother (who is quite competent on the Internet) seeing it (and pointing it out to me) but you know - once an English teacher, always an English teacher (Mom not me). Again, THANKS John
John ... My HS English teacher told me one day that she hoped that I would become a pilot - because I would never make it as an English Teacher! My father, who was a champion "spelling bee winner" used to tell me quite often that I could not spell s**t with three attempts. All I can say is: Thank goodness for computers and spell checkers!
Re the bridgein picture south of Mountainburg. Was it south of the "funny bridge" where AR 282 goes under railroad as it crosses Frog Bayou? That's only place I can imagine the valley being spread out like that, although I don't remember a curve on approach. Lots of folks think it's scenic on top of the "mountains" thereabouts, but there's some beautiful scenes in that valley. I expect that bridge was replaced by girders.
Steve, I really don't know exactly where the bridge was or when. When I named the file I didn't copy the information on the card correctly either, it just says Frisco Bridge South, Mountainburg - so I assume it was close to Mountainburg, on one side or the other... I was told that this type of postcard dates from roughly 1907 to 1915. Since it wasn't mailed there is no postmark date. It looks to me a lot like the same construction style used in the original Van Buren bridge, but I don't know if this is one of the original bridges or a later replacement. It seems like I read somewhere that this branch was originally built with a large number (maybe 18?) of mostly iron bridges between Van Buren and "Plymouth" (Mo). I think most of them were later replaced with wooden trestles etc... I think at least a couple of them were replaced with more modern truss bridges? John
The bridge at MP 388.8 is still standing. I believe it is the only through truss bridge still existing on the Fort Smith subdivision. The newspapers carried reports of major bridge replacement activity by the Frisco in the 1910-1912 period.It is 537 feet long and goes over Frog Bayou. The photo was taken in May 2008.
Tom, Do you have any idea when the mp 388.8 bridge was built? To me it looks a lot more substantial than the bridge in the postcard. John
No. The Engineering Field Notes notes of the 1918 Frisco ICC Valuation survey are stored at the National Archives in College Park, MD. The Notes had construction dates for most bridges and depots but due to time constraints on my December 2005 visit I could not transcribe the wealth of data stored in the engineers work books.
Tom, based on the MP and length, that must be the bridge very near "old 71" in the northern part of Mountainburg. My experience dates from a 1975 canoe trip under it. 20 years later the scenery was a lot different. From your photo, things are even more grown up along there. I remember being amazed at the number of spans that make up that bridge. I guess that's the longest of the many crossing the Frog Bayou and Clear Creek? I don't have any photos as that stream, depending on water level, is not encouraging of carrying a good camera. It can be a pretty ferocious "bayou."
From the Frisco Bridge record Bridge 388.8 north approach, 2 panel open deck frame trestle, 27', 'piles' renewed 1922, through pin connected truss, 115' 1-I-beam span, 21' 11-I-beam spans, 27', each, total 297' 1-I-beam span, 9' 1- through plate girder, 68' total length 537'; it is the longest over Frog Bayou. Bridge 396.4 comes in second at 521'
Good source for photos of the bridge (click show all photos). http://bridgehunter.com/ar/crawford/bh42178/
Very interesting info: As you read the comments, in each of the 14 pictures on the web-site, the last picture shows evidence, along with 1898 builder's plate of the bridge, and 1928 dates cast into the bridge piers, that the bridge was likely moved from another location. If so, wonder if it was always a Frisco bridge and where was it's previous location? Bob Lenexa, KS
