Brownsville-Matamoros Bridge

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Brownsville-Matamoros Bridge. Now, some stories start with a river. And some stories start with a railroad.

This one starts with both, and the river wins the first round. The St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railroad arrived in Brownsville in 1904.

That's a proud moment for any town, a railroad rolling in, promising commerce and connection. But right there at the edge of Texas, the Rio Grande had something to say about it. Because on the other side of that river sat the Mexican National Railway line, and between the two railroads lay all that water, moving slow and sovereign, not caring one bit about anybody's shipping schedule.

Somebody had to do something about that river. Enter Congressman John Nance Garner, born in 1868, a man who would one day serve as vice president of the United States. In 1908, Garner introduced a bill into Congress providing for the construction of a bridge spanning the Rio Grande and connecting those two railways.

That's the kind of legislation that looks simple on paper and is anything but. The Brownsville-Matamoros Bridge Company was incorporated in 1909, owned equally by the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway and the Mexican National Railway.

Equal partners, one bridge. And that same year, railway magnate Benjamin F. Yoakum, born in 1859, sat down with representatives of the Mexican National Railway and hammered out an agreement.

Yoakum didn't think small. He hired the Foundation Company of New York to pour the concrete foundations, and he brought in the Wisconsin Bridge Company of Milwaukee to erect the steel spans. Two companies, two cities, one river to cross.

Work began in April of 1909. Now here is where you have to appreciate what they were building. A swing bridge, of riveted construction, stretching two hundred and twenty-seven feet across the Rio Grande.

The whole structure was completed in the summer of 1910, and in July of that year, they swung it open for inspection. A photographer named Robert Runyon was there to capture the moment. Here's the wry part.

By the time that bridge was finished and ready to swing open for river traffic, river traffic in the area had already ceased. The swing function, all that engineering, all that riveting and rotating, turned out to be unnecessary. The river had gone quiet before the bridge ever had a chance to get out of its way.

The whole thing cost approximately two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. The bridge was renovated for heavier automobile traffic in 1953, and again in 1992. In 1997, the Brownsville-Matamoros Bridge Company erected an adjacent bridge for automobile traffic.

And still, the original bridge, that riveted swing bridge completed in 1910, keeps right on working, carrying rail and truck traffic across the Rio Grande to this day. Some rivers slow you down. Some rivers just make you build something worth lookin' at.

What the marker says

The St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railroad arrived in Brownsville in 1904. The Rio Grande separated the U. S. railway from the Mexican National Railway line. Congressman John Nance Garner (1868-1967), later vice president of the United States, introduced a bill into Congress in 1908 providing for the construction of a bridge spanning the river and connecting the two railways. The Brownsville-Matamoros Bridge Company, owned equally by the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway and the Mexican National Railway, was incorporated in 1909 to handle bridge operations. In 1909 St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway magnate Benjamin F. Yoakum (1859-1929) met with representatives of the Mexican National Railway. An agreement was reached, and Yoakum hired the Foundation Company of New York to build the concrete foundations and the Wisconsin Bridge Company of Milwaukee to erect the steel spans. Work on the structure began in April 1909. The entire structure, a swing bridge of riveted construction, was completed in summer 1910. It was swung open in July of that year for inspection and was photographed by Robert Runyon. By that time, river traffic in the area had ceased, and the swing function was unnecessary. The approximate cost of the bridge, which totaled 227 feet in length, was $225,000. The bridge was renovated for heavier automobile traffic in 1953 and 1992. Although the Brownsville-Matamoros Bridge Company erected an adjacent bridge in 1997 for automobile traffic, the original bridge continues to be used for rail and truck traffic. (1999)