The structure of the old bridge over Salt Fork Creek near Wilton Springs has a kind of geometric beauty and with the ornamental spheres perched on top, the bridge has a character to it not found in modern bridges. (Kathy Fairchild/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

The old girl just ain’t what she used to be.

After 100 years of service, the bridge over Salt Fork Creek, roughly at the intersection of County Roads 215 and 214, was closed to traffic Sept. 18 with no date for re-opening.

The “through-truss” bridge’s wooden deck, replaced more than once in years gone by, has a gaping hole, big enough to snare even a very large tire. Big enough, really, to drop a full-grown adult into the placid creek below.

When she was young, she was a thing of beauty. A fading glamour queen, traces of her former grace and style are evident from the structure that remains.

Pieces of her are missing now -- one of the decorative finials at the top has been removed, and, sadly, even the plate with the date it was built and the names of county commissioners who served then is missing.

County commissioners and road maintenance officials visited the bridge Sept. 26 to see first-hand the deterioration that prompted its closure to traffic Sept. 18. This gaping hole in the deck was one of a number of concerns about the bridge’s integrity. (Kathy Fairchild/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

When the bridge was built in 1907, the 9-acre tract of land nearby was owned by a group of churches, including Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

Salt Fork Creek was the southern boundary of the Missouri Pacific railroad right of way in the area, once known as Wilton Springs.

Wilton Springs was a stop on the railroad line back then, and making the trip from Marshall or other Saline County communities was an adventure.

The churches used the property for picnics and other outings. The acreage once sported a shelter house and pagoda on the grounds.

A picture from 1910 published in “Remember When ... Reflections of Marshall and Saline County” shows a group of picnickers gathered at the bridge, the women in long dresses, the men in suit coats and hats, the fashion of the day, even a hot summer day.

But now, with alternative routes close at hand, and only a light load of traffic daily, Bridge Number 17874 may have outlived the purpose for which it was built.

The major repairs required for the 165-foot span would be expensive, and there are other bridges in Saline County in need of even more work.

On the other hand, it may not have outlived its usefulness.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) has a very active program through their cultural resources staff to help preserve and reuse historic bridges.

On the MoDOT website, there is a publication called “For a free bridge, call M0DOT.”

(Kathy Fairchild/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

Written by Matt Heibert, a public affairs specialist with MoDOT, it details several projects involving the conversion of older bridges to new use as decorative elements or pedestrian walkways in parks across the state.

Heibert points out that moving a bridge in its entirety is quite expensive, but that disassembling it and moving the pieces is a good bit less of a financial bite.

The Salt Fork Creek Bridge near Wilton Springs as it looked in July 2007. (Eric Crump/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

Maybe there’s some life in the old girl yet.

Editor’s note: This article was prepared with the help of local historian Marvin Wilhite at the Marshall Public Library. Additional information on converting old bridges to new uses is

available

at http://www.modot.mo.gov.

Contact Kathy Fairchild at marshallhealth@socket.net