The three bridges of Silverdale, Cowley County, Kansas, were once stone arch bridges important to the community, and carried the road to Oklahoma.
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.
Cowley’s Grouse Creek Stone Arch Bridges Part 2: The Legacy
Cowley County, Kansas built numerous stone arch bridges over Grouse Creek, which were particularly suited to and popular in the area.
Cowley’s Grouse Creek Stone Arch Bridges Part 1: Firsts and Records
Cowley County, Kansas several daring-span stone arch bridges over the Grouse Creek which set records for the entire state.
Are Stone Arch Bridges Outdated?
Stone arch bridges from past centuries are widely used across the world, and stone bridges are even still built in some places.
The Stone Arch Culvert Days of Butler County, Kansas
Beginning in the late 1800s, stone arch culverts and their construction became popular with the people and townships of Butler County, Kansas.
Bridge Abutments
Stone arch bridges must have substantial and properly designed abutments in order to resist the enormous thrust of the arch without yielding.
C. C. Jamison’s Masterpiece: The Minos West Ford Bridge
The beautiful Minos West Ford Bridge built by C. C. Jamison in southern Butler County, Kansas was considered a masterpiece even in its own time.
Widening a Stone Arch Bridge
While many historic stone arch bridges are too narrow by modern traffic standards, there are several viable ways to non-destructively widen them.
C. C. Jamison’s 1913 Turkey Creek Bridge
In 1913, C. C. Jamison built an affordable and durable double-arch stone bridge over Turkey Creek, Butler County, Kansas which is still in use today.
Kansas’s Stone Arch Bridge Tradition — Part 2
The second phase of the state of Kansas’s stone arch bridge era was marked by a slow but steady trend to concrete until the WPA days.
