In Pawhuska, Oklahoma is an imposing, triple arch stone bridge with an interesting history. In this series of posts, we investigate the story behind the magnificent structure.
Author Archives: StoneArchBridges
B. P. Lindsey is a Kansas resident who has extensively studied the stone bridges of the Sunflower State, most notably those of Cowley County. He is a writer with a love of the past — studying how people lived and how things were done in the old days. He also enjoys physics and building things. He has a particular interest in masonry and enjoys experimenting with various ways to build stone arch bridges — including two completed stone arch footbridges. He always has plans for another stone arch bridge down the road. You can find him at StoneArchBridges.com.
Pawhuska’s Big Stone Bridge: Part 2
In Pawhuska, Oklahoma is an imposing, triple arch stone bridge with an interesting history. In this series of posts, we investigate the story behind the magnificent structure.
Pawhuska’s Big Stone Bridge: Part 1
In Pawhuska, Oklahoma is an imposing, triple arch stone bridge with an interesting history. In this series of posts, we investigate the story behind the magnificent structure.
Hidden Structural Features
Many stone arch bridge feature subtle design features that are tucked away out of sight within the structure, which can greatly complicate rehab and load handling calculations.
Building With Stone: The Intermediate Stage
Often at some point a masonry project will start looking wrong in the middle of construction. However, it is important to keep building with the final goal in mind.
Mortared Vs. Mortarless Masonry
In this post we contrast the pros and cons of mortared and mortarless stone arch bridge construction, mentioning potential pitfalls with each.
On Mortar
In this post, we investigate the advantages of using mortar in stonework, looking into what purpose the mortar serves and its limitations.
The Different Kinds of Mortar
In this post we will briefly examine what makes the various types of commercially available mortar mixes different, and how this relates to repairing historic structures.
The Importance of Friction
Friction is a crucial factor in stone arch bridge stability, and, when the line of thrust is solidly within the arch, holds the arch stones firmly in place.
Updated Cowley County, Kansas, Stone Bridge Page
We have updated our page listing the stone arch bridges of Cowley County, Kansas, to include a map showing the locations of the known stone bridges on the public roads.
Stone Arch Bridges 