Lexington in Cleveland County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)

Lexington-Purcell Toll Bridges

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 19, 2025

1. Lexington-Purcell Toll Bridges Marker

Inscription. The Billy Hocker Bridge, pictured above, was the first across the Canadian connecting Lexington and Purcell. It opened for traffic on September 29, 1899, and quickly became a vital transportation link. A 24 hour crossing, it was not unusual for up to 60 teams a day to cross. The bridge was destroyed by flood on October 5, 1904.

It would be seven years before Dorset Carter's $65,000 double intersection Warren Through Truss would link the towns again. The bridge opened on December 14, 1911, with a gala celebration. The bridge would soon become the center of controversy in the 1930s as the public began to demand free crossings. After a protracted fight that went all the way to the Supreme Court, the bridge was declared free on March 4, 1933.

All Photos Courtesy of the Oklahoma Historical Society

Erected by Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Bridges & Viaducts. A significant historical date for this entry is September 29, 1899.

Location. 35° 0.877′ N, 97° 20.764′ W. Marker is in Lexington, Oklahoma, in Cleveland County. It is on James C. Nance Memorial Bridge (U.S. 77) 0.1 miles west of Southwest 5th Street, on the left when traveling west. It is in a pedestrian overlook. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lexington OK 73051, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Oklahoma — Frontier Country

and in Greater Oklahoma City.

It is also in the American South,

specifically on the prairies,

and on the Southern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Run of '89 South Boundary (approx. 0.7 miles away); Col. John L. Smith (approx. 0.7 miles away); Camp Holmes Treaty (approx. 0.7 miles away); The James C. Nance Bridge (approx. ¾ mile away); Purcell (approx. 0.9 miles away); Desert Storm Honor Roll (approx. 0.9 miles away); 46th State (approx. 0.9 miles away); Confederate Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lexington.

Regarding Lexington-Purcell Toll Bridges. The Purcell-Lexington Toll Bridge Co., formed by prominent Purcell lawyer Dorset Carter, Sr., built the second toll bridge under a 20-year franchise granted by Cleveland and McClain counties. The court case began in 1931, when local and state officials announced the bridge would become toll-free upon the franchise's expiration. The bridge owner promptly sued, claiming it had authority under state law to collect tolls in perpetuity. The legal fight lasted until February 1933, when the U.S. Supreme Court in Hawks v. Hamill deferred to the Oklahoma Supreme Court's determination that the state constitution prohibited tolls in perpetuity. The bridge became free on March 4, 1933, coincidentally the same day President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated to his first term. The bridge was replaced by the James C. Nance Bridge in 1938.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 19, 2025

2. Lexington-Purcell Toll Bridges Marker

J.W. "Billy" Hocker image. Click for full size.

Oklahoma State Bar Association via Oklahoma Department of Libraries (Public Domain)(, circa 1912

3. J.W. "Billy" Hocker

A prominent Purcell lawyer, he and J.A. Fariss constructed the first toll bridge. Hocker was a founder of Purcell and served as the Oklahoma State Bar Association's president.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 24, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 228 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 24, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on June 25, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.