With the completion of Maurer Bridge No. 2, the era of stone arch bridge building in Cowley County had essentially come to a close, stone being unable to effectively compete with concrete. With few exceptions, Cowley County from then on built concrete bridges. However, by 1922, according to Walter Sharp, there were 14 stone arch bridges on Grouse Creek. Below is a map showing the approximate locations of the Grouse Creek stone arch bridges. We have done our best to locate where these 14 bridges were, and this map represents our current knowledge. We will update this map as needed. We hope that this resource is interesting!
One Peculiarity
One peculiarity that may be noticeable on the map is that (not counting the failed Neer Bridge which Walter Sharp replaced) there are 15 stone arch bridges shown as opposed to Walter Sharp’s stated 14. The odd one out is likely the unidentified stone arch bridge north of Dexter. We have found no record of this bridge, yet the ruins are rather distinct: a stone island in the stream, cut stones strewn down both banks, and a short section of stone curbing hidden in the woods. If you happen to know anything about this bridge, we will be delighted to hear it!
References to the Grouse Creek Stone Bridges
Below is a list of reference material for each of the Grouse Creek bridges. With the exception of the unidentified bridge near Dexter, you will find three resources for each bridge. There is plenty more historic newspaper information than shown for the Grouse Creek bridges; we have chosen references which give a glimpse of the story behind the Grouse Creek stone arch bridges and the stories told in this series of articles.
- Smalley Bridge: “Bridge Notice,” Winfield Courier, November 19, 1908, page 12; “Bridge Lettings,” Winfield Daily Courier, December 14, 1908, page 4; “Smalley Bridge Accepted,” Winfield Courier, July 29, 1909, page 5.
- Spahr Bridge (also called several other names, particularly Rivers Bridge): “Notice of Bridge Letting, Harvey Township,” Winfield Courier, April 25, 1918, page 4; “Northeast Cowley,” The Burden Times, June 27, 1919, page 4; “Walnut River,” The Winfield Daily Free Press, April 10, 1922, page 8.
- Fox Bridge (originally McCaw Bridge): “Notice to Bridge Builders,” The Winfield Tribune, May 31, 1906, page 3; “A Long Stone Span,” Winfield Courier, July 19, 1906, page 8; “The Big Stone Bridge,” Winfield Daily Courier, January 8, 1907, page 8.
- Andy Cook’s Neer Bridge: “Notice of Bids,” Winfield Courier, September 4, 1913, page 3; “Bridge Contracts Are Let,” The Winfield Daily Free Press, September 22, 1913, page 1; “Cambridge,” Winfield Courier, November 5, 1914, page 1.
- Walter Sharp’s Neer Bridge: “Neer Bridge,” Winfield Daily Courier, June 11, 1915, page 4; “Notice Of Bridge Letting,” Winfield Courier, September 23, 1915, page 5; Winfield Daily Courier, November 30, 1915, page 5.
- Fromm Bridge: “Bridge Notice,” Winfield Courier, February 15, 1917, page 6; “Bridge Notice,” Winfield Courier, February 22, 1917, page 6; “Bridge Notice,” Winfield Courier, May 3, 1917, page 5.
- McCrabb Bridge: “Notice of Bridge Letting,” The Winfield Tribune, June 20, 1902, page 3; The Dexter Advocate; August 22, 1902, page 8; “To Inspect Bridge,” Winfield Daily Courier, October 28, 1902, page 2.
- Maurer Bridge No. 1: “Notice of Bridge Letting,” The Winfield Tribune, April 24, 1903, page 6; “Bridge Contract Let,” Winfield Daily Courier, May 9, 1903, page 2; “Some Notes From The Farms,” Albright’s Farm and Ranch, July 7, 1903, page 5.
- Maurer Bridge No. 2: “Bridge Notice,” Winfield Daily Courier, May 12, 1920, page 7; “Stone Arch Nearly Done,” Winfield Daily Courier, March 19, 1921, page 1; Walter Sharp, “A Story About Good Roads,” The Wichita Eagle, October 26, 1920, page 11.
- H. Branson Bridge: “Notice,” Winfield Courier, February 13, 1908, page 7; “All Bridge Contracts Let,” The Arkansas City Daily News, April 14, 1908, page 4; “Brief Local Matters,” The Dexter Tribune, January 7, 1909, page 5.
- Unidentified Stone Bridge: No information available; for photo see Cowley’s Grouse Creek Stone Arch Bridges Part 2: The Legacy and A Lost Grouse Creek Stone Bridge.
- Goodnight Bridge: “Notice of Bridge Letting,” The Winfield Tribune, August 5, 1904, page 2; “Goodnight Bridge,” The Dexter Advocate, November 3, 1904, page 1; “Goodnight Bridge,” The Dexter Advocate, December 29, 1904, page 1.
- Pudden Bridge (originally known as Kirk Bridge, also called Esch’s Spur Bridge): “Notice of Opening of Bids,” Winfield Courier, December 5, 1912, page 12; “At Loss of Fifty Dollars,” Winfield Courier, July 17, 1913, page 4; for a detailed history of this bridge, see our illustrated history here.
- Iron’s Ford Bridge: “Notice of Bridge Letting,” Winfield Courier, September 16, 1909, page 7; “Bridges Let,” Winfield Courier, October 21, 1909, page 4; “A Growing Town,” The Winfield Daily Free Press, October 15, 1910, page 3.
- Sterling Bridge: “The Silverdale Bridges,” Arkansas City Daily Traveler, April 8, 1910, page 2; The Winfield Daily Free Press, October 6, 1910, page 1; “A Growing Town,” The Winfield Daily Free Press, October 15, 1910, page 3.
- Warren Bridge: “The Silverdale Bridges,” Arkansas City Daily Traveler, April 8, 1910, page 2; The Winfield Daily Free Press, August 25, 1910, page 3; “A Growing Town,” The Winfield Daily Free Press, October 15, 1910, page 3.
Stone Arch Bridges 