The modest single-arch Fox Creek Bridge connects the town of Strong City, Chase County, Kansas, to the well-known Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve nearby. This is the final installment of the well-researched account of this bridge that was kindly prepared for us by Michelle Lindsey of homesteadontherange.com.
Building the Bridge
By all appearances, construction of the new Fox Creek Bridge proceeded quickly and without fanfare or mishap. The newspaper accounts of the day are remarkably lacking in incident. As early as January 1899, the county commissioners were able to visit the bridge and report its condition as satisfactory.
Newspaper records reveal that Lantry Sons were able to complete the bridge exactly within budget. The February 23, 1899, issue of The News-Courant contains three bills approved by the county commissioners for $1,000; $500; and $500 to B. Lantry’s Sons, the first two for “Fox Creek bridge” and the last for “final estimate on Fox creek bridge.” A little work remained to be done on the approaches at this time, as excessive cold hindered the workmen, causing some anxiety among those who were expecting to receive cattle at the nearby stockyards in the spring.
Furthermore, once the actual bridge was completed, the road still had to be run over the structure and graded. The contract for this work was given to Joe Costello, and the speed and quality of his work proved satisfactory to observers. The grading was completed in mid-April 1899, and the newspapers were able to report that the road was in “good shape.”
Fox Creek Bridge Today
Unlike its predecessors, the stone arch Fox Creek Bridge has stood the test of time. Newspapers had little to say about the bridge after its completion, which is a rather good sign for its structural integrity.
The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
Fox Creek Bridge remains part of the road network surrounding Strong City despite significant age-related weathering of the stone. Besides forming one of the main routes into and out of the town, it is also part of the Community Connection Trail between Strong City and Tallgrass Prairie. This preserve is part of the ranch owned by Barney Lantry and purchased from Stephen F. Jones. The stately limestone mansion, originally built as Jones’s residence, was used for many years as quarters for Lantry employees.
And thus both Tallgrass Prairie and Fox Creek Bridge stand as reminders of the significant contribution of the Lantry family to Strong City, and indeed to many of the network of towns tied together by the Santa Fe Railroad.
Click here to see Part 2 of this series.
Bibliography
- Fox Creek Stone Arch Bridge, National Park Service (December 27, 2006), NPGallery, 3.
- The Strong City Herald, March 12, 1887, page 2, Newspapers.com.
- The Strong City Herald, “Local Extracts,” May 13, 1887, Newspapers.com.
- The Strong City Herald, “That Fox Creek Bridge,” January 30, 1890, Newspapers.com.
- The News-Courant (Cottonwood Falls), “Bills Allowed by the Board of County Commissioners,” April 25, 1889, Newspapers.com.
- “That Fox Creek Bridge.”
- The Strong City Herald, “The Bridge Bill,” February 14, 1889, Newspapers.com.
- The Strong City Herald, “The Fox Creek Bridge,” October 9, 1890, Newspapers.com.
- The Courant (Cottonwood Falls), “Commissioners’ Proceedings,” January 15, 1891, Newspapers.com.
- The Strong City Herald, “Commissioners’ Proceedings,” January 8, 1891, Newspapers.com.
- Chase County Leader (Cottonwood Falls), “Town and Country News,” May 28, 1891, Newspapers.com.
- The Strong City Herald, “Seen and Heard,” May 22, 1896, Newspapers.com.
- The Strong City Herald, “Seen and Heard,” May 28, 1897, Newspapers.com.
- The News-Courant, “Commissioners’ Proceedings,” July 15, 1897, Newspapers.com.
- Chase County Courant, “Proceedings,” October 14, 1897, Newspapers.com.
- Chase County Leader, “Bridge Notice,” November 18, 1897, Newspapers.com.
- Chase County Leader, “Commissioners’ Proceedings,” January 13, 1898, Newspapers.com.
- The Topeka State Journal, “Done by Kansas Men,” February 22, 1902, Newspapers.com.
- Chase County Leader, “B. Lantry’s Sons,” April 15, 1897, Newspapers.com.
- National Park Service, “Ranch Time Line,” Tallgrass Prairie, last modified October 21, 2021, https://www.nps.gov/tapr/learn/historyculture/ranch-time-line.htm.
- Chase County Leader, “Town and Country News,” September 12, 1889, Newspapers.com.
- The Courant, “County Dads at Work,” January 12, 1899, Newspapers.com.
- The News-Courant, “Bills Allowed,” February 23, 1899, Newspapers.com.
- The Strong City Herald, “Local Lights,” March 10, 1899, Newspapers.com.
- The News-Courant, “Local Shortstops,” April 6, 1899, Newspapers.com.
- The Strong City Herald, “Local Lights,” April 14, 1899, Newspapers.com.
- National Park Service, “Ranch Time Line.”
Stone Arch Bridges 