Ohio Street Bridge
Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Planning for construction of the first bridge at this site began soon after the organization of Wichita County in 1882. The structure was built by the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, and formally dedicated on July 4, 1886. This second span, located west of the original bridge, was completed in 1911. Both provided a vital connection between the downtown area of Wichita Falls and northern sections of the city. The bridges were closed to vehicles in 1972 because of unsafe structural conditions and the older span was demolished. (1980)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Soon after Wichita County was organized in 1882, residents planned a bridge over the river here, and the King Bridge Company of Cleveland delivered it, dedicating the span on the Fourth of July, 1886. A second bridge went up just west of the first in 1911. Together they tied downtown Wichita Falls to the city's growing northern neighborhoods until structural decay forced their closure to vehicles in 1972.
Why it matters
River crossings like these were the arteries that let raw frontier towns grow into cities, and the King Bridge Company's work shows how Gilded Age industrial firms knit the nation together.
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