The Old Verde River Sheep Bridge

The Old Verde River Sheep Bridge. . , Marker 1 - (Main Marker): , The original Verde River Sheep Bridge, also known as the Red Point Sheep Bridge, was constructed at this location in 1943 by Flagstaff Sheep Company, which had been grazing sheep in the area under a Forest Service permit since 1926. As early as the turn of the century, other sheep ranchers also used the Bloody Basin, which supposedly took its name from numerous fights between Indians and settlers that occurred there. After the bridge was constructed, the 11,000 sheep that wintered on three nearby Forest Service grazing allotments could safely cross from one side of the Verde to the other., Erected with hand tools and a few mules during World War II, the bridge was constructed largely with salvaged materials. Overall length of the structure from cable anchorage to cable anchorage was 691 feet, and the distance between the two towers was 568 feet. The walkway was 476 feet long and three feet wide. The towers originally were constructed with wood, as was the walkway. Soon after the bridge was complete, the wooden towers were reinforced with concrete buttresses. Each main suspension cable consisted of a pair of 1 3/8-inch-diameter lock-coil, spiral strands, which were obtained from an abandoned tramway that carried copper ore from the Blue Bell Mine west of Cordes to a railroad siding south of Mayer, after the turn of the century. Only the towers of the old bridge remain., Although several other bridges of this type previously had been built in Arizona, Verde River Sheep Bridge was the last of its kind in the Southwest when it was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 1988, weakened by years of service and floods, the bridge was disassembled. In 1989, the bridge found here today was erected. Reminiscent of the original structure, the new bridge recalls the ingenuity of the pioneer sheepmen and a way of ranching that has virtually disappeared from the Arizona scene., Marker 2 - (Middle Marker): , For nearly 40 years, Verde River Sheep Bridge was a focal point of sheep ranching in Bloody Basin. The first flocks of sheep crossed the bridge in the fall of 1943; the last, during the spring of 1979. In the intervening years, sheepmen used the bridge to move sheep from one pasture to another along the river as well as to and from the stock driveways west of the river, which led to summer pastures in the mountains of northern Arizona. Basque herders also used the bridge during lambing and shearing seasons to cross between pastures on the east side of the Verde and the ranch headquarters on the west side. The ranch buildings included a three-room bunkhouse, barn, caretaker's cabin, wood shed, chicken coop and shearing shed. The foundations of these structures may still be seen northwest of the approach to the bridge., Marker 3 - (Marker on the East Side of Bridge) , The Verde River was a formidable obstacle for the sheep outfits that used the pastures along the river. Sheepherders had to swim their flocks across the river several times a year, especially in the spring going north to summer pastures and in the fall returning to the winter ranges, and could expect to lose at least a few animals to the swift currents at every crossing. In their search for a reliable way to get the sheep safely and quickly across the river, ranchers built temporary bridges - a pontoon-type bridge at Red Creek (six miles north of here) and a small suspension bridge at Tangle Creek. The temporary suspension bridge was used for about three years and was suitable when the river level was low; however, it had to be dismantled after each use to prevent it from washing away if the river rose. That bridge spawned the idea for a permanent suspension bridge high above the river level., In 1978, a visitor to the Verde River Sheep Bridge related, "Basque herders walked the bridge, checking for loose boards. Then the tinkling of the lead goat's bell grew louder as it moved in our direction. In a few moments, the river of white animals was funneled across the bridge and spread like liquid fingers over the rugged terrain. One of the herders stood at the base of the bridge and took a head count as the animals arrived on the west bank."