Bridging Time: 'The pride of Cotter'

For years, the small town of Cotter, Arkansas has been known as "Trout Capital of the U.S.A." Specifically, both brown trout and rainbow trout fishing in the White River in the lower Ozarks has been world-class for generations, with even a positive nod to brook trout and cutthroat trout. But the community about 200 miles northwest of Memphis has laid claim to another world-class attraction. It's home to what's been called the longest Marsh "rainbow" arch bridge in the United States. "It's the bridge that put us on the map," says Cotter Mayor Mack Caradine. A former resident of Gatlinburg, Caradine says he came to Cotter for the top-quality fishing in the area and decided to stay. He's been the mayor of the city of around 900 people for the past seven years. "Folks passing through can see the arches off in the distance," Caradine said. "When they drive across the bridge through those magnificent arches, then come down to the riverside and look upriver, the full beauty of the massive bridge greets them. It's a beautiful setting." Marsh-style bridges themselves come with an interesting history. Back in the 1920s while a representative of the King Iron Bridge Company, a young James Marsh toyed with the idea of changing the way concrete arch bridges were constructed as a way to save money to build them. His basic design called for a steel arch, reinforced in a concrete shell. During the first part of the 20th century, his new business the Marsh Engineering Company of Des Moines, Iowa, built about 70 concrete-reinforced arch bridges mostly around the Midwest that were inexpensive and noticeable, but not necessarily spectacular. To keep from paying royalties to the Austrian company that founded the idea of concrete-reinforced bridges, Marsh modified his design into a "rainbow" reinforced concrete arch he patented as the Marsh Rainbow Arch. Structural steel beams would be shaped and molded into a curved angle while on the ground, then lifted into place over the crossing. Concrete would then be hauled in and shaped around the steel. During the early 20th century, several ferries existed along the White River in the southern Ozarks because of the tourism between nearby towns and cities. The need to replace the Cotter ferry suddenly increased dramatically in 1928, when major east-west route "U.S. Highway 62" was on the verge of being designated through the Southern Ozarks and northern Arkansas by the federal government. Overnight, the sleepy little town of Cotter needed a bridge, and they needed it fast. Enter James Marsh and his innovative idea of an economical, long-lasting low-maintenance reinforced concrete arch bridge in the shape of a rainbow. He hired the Bateman Contracting Company of Nashville, and Marsh's son Frank ambitiously began setting up an unusual construction schedule for the set of arch bridges at Cotter. The crossing would consist of five separate through connected arch bridges, one right after another. A sixth pony arch bridge on the east end would span a nearby railroad track. Because they were all through arches, the concrete masking framework would be above the highway deck. In October 1929, 100 workers began the task of placing five piers in the swift-flowing White River, while at the same time, steel portions of the arches were being formed in separate skeletons on the grassy downriver side of the bridge site. One half of each structured steel arch weighing 11 tons and measuring about 125 feet was bent into a curve and then hot-riveted on the ground. Cables then hoisted the curved steel into the air, where it was set between the piers. Once the steel arches were placed, a cable car anchored to towers on the piers carried concrete out to be formed around the arches. "It was a painstakingly massive operation," said Caradine. "It's obvious they used their hands more than the machinery." Much to the surprise of construction crews and the nearby townspeople, the construction finished well ahead of schedule. The Cotter Bridge measures about 1,850 feet long, rising 78 feet high above the White River. Of the length, 1,060 feet comprise the five immense concrete arches, each of them 216 feet long. The pony arch on the north side that crosses the former Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad measures 132 feet long. The deck girder and concrete T-beam approach spans between the arches measure an additional 638 feet. The Cotter Bridge opened in 1930 as a toll bridge, with Caradine himself actually owning the former toll house at one point. Cost of the bridge was estimated to be close to $500,000 — $1.9 million in today's dollars. The bridge was finished on Nov. 1, 1930, and dedicated 10 days later. Published reports say the local townspeople were hesitant to use the toll bridge, especially when the familiar free ferry near it was still available. The ferry ended the next year, and the bridge toll was canceled in 1938. As recreational tourists flocked to the Ozark Mountains, the Cotter Bridge became a familiar entrance to the region. In 1976, the crossing was named the R.M. Ruthven Bridge, dedicated to the memory of the Baxter County, Arkansas, judge who fought to have the bridge built when the highway through Cotter was designated U.S. Highway 62. In 1986, the bridge was named a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places which, along with a regional public outcry, was influential in saving the bridge from the wrecking ball when U.S. 62 was routed across a new four-lane bridge a mile downriver in 1990. The old bridge was rehabilitated in the late '90s with arch repairs and reinforcements, along with a replacement deck and railings. Twelve standard light fixtures originally lit the bridge, but today (or rather, tonight), the bridge is washed in special LED lighting, more than 3,000 lights that have upward and downward focuses. As you view it, the bridge appears to glow in the darkness. The lighting system is called the Peitz River lights, named after the late local businessman and philanthropist Peter Peitz, whose contributions to the area range from supporting local youth, to cancer treatments and medical nursing development. The bridge is lit for special events. To view a livestream of the bridge lights tonight, go to www.cotterbridge.org and click on "Live Bridge Cam." Ninety-five years after its dedication, the Cotter Bridge is still amazingly elegant as the White River charts its course down to the Mississippi River. Caradine credits the bridge with attracting people and anglers through the unofficial "Gateway to the Ozarks." "It's the uniqueness of the bridge that continues to make people want to stop and look around," he said. "The fishing is great and then there's the bridge. It's breathtaking. It's the pride of Cotter."