Do You Know This Building?
Answers:
1. c) east of Durango Located approximately 13 miles east of Durango where it crosses the Florida River, the bridge served as part of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company’s route between Durango and Alamosa. Established in 1881, the narrow gauge route went through Chama, New Mexico as it traveled between the two Colorado towns. Although the builder’s bridge plate is missing, its original location on an end post is obvious. A bridge plate would confirm the construction date and fabricator. However, archival research through railroad records led to two conclusions. The Union Bridge Company of Athens, Pennsylvania fabricated the bridge in 1887, and it was moved from Utah to its current site in 1912 after a flood in October of 1911 destroyed the original wooden bridge. It was a common practice for railroad companies to dismantle and relocate bridges to more desirable locations. The 82-foot long bridge is a standard design, pin connected steel, Pratt through truss. Various insulator parts that would have originally held telegraph wire remain underneath the floor. The Pratt through truss was patented in 1844 and virtually became the standard American bridge form until the late 1920s. More Pratt truss bridges were built in Colorado than all other truss types combined. In the early 1970s, the structure became private property and was adapted for use as a single lane vehicular bridge. This adaptation included pouring seven inches of concrete over the original deck timbers and installing guard rails. This well-preserved example of a bridge type important in the history of American bridge building, was listed in the State Register of Historic Properties and received a State Historical Fund grant for stabilization. |
