The Seven Bridges of Douglas City

The Seven Bridges of Douglas City. . , This one-mile section on the river (between Weaver Creek and Reading Creek) has hosted at least seven bridges since the establishment of Kanaka Bar/Douglas City in the early 1850s. All but the current one eventually succumbed to the flows of the Trinity River., The toll bridge built by the Smith Brothers in 1859 was washed out in the flood of 1861, which took out every span in the county. Bridge two, completed in early 1862, lasted until the high waters of 1881 swept it away., Douglas City then got by for a decade with a summer foot bridge which had to be rebuilt every year. During the rainy winter months, the mail carrier and his buckboard often had to be rowed across the river by two expert boatmen. A second boat towed two horses., The next span, erected in 1891, lasted until 1906. No cause mentioned as to why it failed. It was rebuilt in 1906., The construction of HWY 299 is said to have prompted the 1931 building of the 5th bridge. This bridge was touted as probably lasting for all time due to the new modern engineering methods. The big flood of 1955 caused the collapse of two sections from the north abutment, resulting in a 170 ft gap in the Douglas City bridge. So much for modern bridges. In the wake of the 1955 flood, the state installed a temporary bridge until the ruptured one could be repaired., The repaired span became increasingly shaky, prompting the 1980 construction of the present bridge a short distance upstream. The Douglas City community hopes this was the final time the Trinity River takes one of their bridges. Only time will tell., Dedicated November 8, 2025 , By the Ancient and Honorable Order of , E Clampus Vitus Trinitarianus Chapter 62 ,