More than a century ago, a group of Greene County landowners asked for a crossing over the Sac River. On Monday, Sept. 21, Greene County Commission recognized the 120-year-old Sac River Arch Bridge's place in history through a historic site dedication.
The bridge, on Farm Road 128 in Bois D'Arc, dates back to 1906, when 46 registered landowners petitioned asking for the river crossing, according to a Greene County news release. Greene County Court, the predecessor to the commission, issued the contract for the 50-foot Sac River Bridge in 1908.
It is the only crossing over the river on county farm roads, not counting crossings at Interstate 44 and state routes to the west. According to the release, it is one of only four functional arch bridges
in Missouri.
"The most remarkable thing about this bridge is how little we know about its early days and how much it has quietly done since," said Dave Coonrod, Historic Sites Board member and former presiding commissioner, who prepared the nomination, in the release. "More than 50 years of county inspection records tell the story of a structure that has simply kept working."
While the petition was filed 120 years ago, it is unknown how old the bridge itself is. A search of records at the Springfield-Greene County Library Center found no reports of the bridge's completion or opening dedication, according to the release. There were no original plans, photographs or construction documents. Federal bridge inspection records list the construction year of 1900, a placeholder the Missouri State Bridge Inventory assigns to bridges with unknown build dates.
A search of News-Leader archives return a few articles regarding plans and contracting for the bridge's construction. An article published in the Springfield Leader on July 11, 1910, indicates work was set to begin the following day and be completed within a month.
"The bridge is still carrying traffic today," Commissioner Rusty MacLachlan said in the release. "Recognizing it as a historic site honors both the people who asked for it and the generations who have maintained it."
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Sac River Arch Bridge with few early records becomes historic site
