Bull Hide Creek Iron Bridge

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll give it to you straight from there. You know, some bridges have a flair for the dramatic, and some just show up, do the work, and outlast just about everybody who ever crossed them. The Bull Hide Creek Iron Bridge is that second kind.

Built in 1914, this metal truss bridge was manufactured by the El Paso Bridge and Iron Company, all the way out of El Paso, Texas, and then erected right here over Bull Hide Creek at Winan's Crossing. Now that's a name, Winan's Crossing, the kind that makes you wonder what stories the creek bank could tell if it had a mind to. The bridge itself is a 69-foot Warren pony truss design, and it comes with a 16-foot timber deck, concrete piers, and timber approach spans.

Somebody thought this thing through. The El Paso Bridge and Iron Company didn't just throw iron at a creek and call it a day. For most of the 20th century, this bridge was the connection, the real link between the communities of Mabel, Levi, and Cottonwood.

Folks heading to town, heading home, heading anywhere that mattered, they crossed right here. No bridge, no crossing. No crossing, no community ties holding together the way they need to.

There's something quietly grand about a 69-foot span of iron and timber carrying the weight of daily life for that long. Most things don't last. This one did.

And it's still here to prove it.

What the marker says

Manufactured by the El Paso Bridge and Iron Company of El Paso, Texas, this metal truss bridge was erected over Bull Hide Creek at Winan's Crossing in 1914. The 69-foot Warren pony truss bridge includes a 16-foot timber deck, concrete piers, and timber approach spans. It provided an important transportation connection for residents of the Mabel, Levi, and Cottonwood communities for most of the 20th century. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1994