DeSpain Bridge
Cooper, Delta County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(Site 4.2 miles Southwest) Located where the Bonham-Jefferson Road crossed the South Sulphur River, this pioneer bridge served the area's rich cotton trade for some 20 years. It was constructed before 1850 by landowner Brig DeSpain and his neighbors to provide access to the county seat -- Tarrant -- in Hopkins County. The land was originally awarded to the family of Randolph DeSpain, a Texas Revolutionary soldier who was killed in the massacre at Goliad in 1836. Strongly built of native oak and bois d'arc wood, the bridge withstood heavy traffic of ox-wagons and horse-drawn vehicles. The narrow ridge of land where it was situated was known as "Granny's Neck," for Mrs. Mary Sinclair, who lived in the vicinity. Until cotton and corn became important crops, the South Sulphur River ran clear. Afterward, eroded dirt from plowed fields muddied its waters. Shortly after 1870 -- the year Delta County was organized -- heavy rains washed out the bridge. The State of Texas built a new one, which took the name of G. W. Harper, Toll Keeper. Later Hopkins and Delta counties assumed maintenance of this new bridge, which continued to channel cotton and corn wagons between the two regions for several decades.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built before 1850 by landowner Brig DeSpain and his neighbors where the Bonham–Jefferson Road crossed the South Sulphur River, this pioneer bridge of native oak and bois d'arc carried the region's cotton trade for some twenty years. The land traced back to Randolph DeSpain, a Texas Revolutionary soldier killed in the 1836 Goliad massacre. When floods washed the crossing out after 1870, the state replaced it, and the counties kept cotton and corn wagons rolling between the two regions for decades more.
Why it matters
A locally built river crossing like this was the lifeline of the frontier cotton economy, showing how ordinary settlers created the transportation links that turned raw land into a market region.
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Related people
- · Brig DeSpain
- · Randolph DeSpain
- · G. W. Harper
Related events
- · Goliad massacre, 1836
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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