Elk Mountain, Wyoming RIP Old Bridge

Elk Mountain, Wyoming

RIP Old Bridge

Vern Mesler

July, 2018

Wyoming: Our cross-country road trip led us to one unusual solution for the relocation of one historic riveted truss bridge. Our destination was Elk Mountain, Wyoming, for a stay at the Historic Elk Mountain Hotel just south of Interstate 80. After the short trip through the village of Elk Mountain (population 191), we arrived at the corner of Bridge and Main Streets. A familiar sight met us at the corner: a new rust-colored pony truss bridge spanning the Medicine Bow River a short distance from the hotel. "I bet there was a historic riveted truss bridge on this site not long ago," I told my wife as we crossed the new bridge toward the hotel.

Former bridge (photo: Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, Elizabeth King)

New bridge (photo: Vern Mesler)

After settling in our room, we were ready for our dinner reservation in the historic dining room, expecting a hearty western style dinner. As we finished our dinner, the innkeeper/chef stopped at our table to ask us if we were pleased with our meal. "What happened to the bridge?" I asked her. She knew exactly what I was referring to and launched into a blow-by-blow account of the demise of the previous bridge. For me, it was an all too familiar scenario: old bridge, riveted, too narrow, low load capacity, etc., and a new bridge promised to look just like the old bridge, even rusted to look old using all-weathering steel. What happened to the old bridge was a bit more interesting: the trusses were relocated to the local cemetery, maybe a little dark humor on the part of the engineers. R.I.P. old bridge. Actually, from what the innkeeper said, it was a decision made by the community to place the trusses in the cemetery even though some local ranchers had requested that the bridge be placed on their property (apparently saving just the trusses and placing them on either side of the little bridge leading to the cemetery plots avoided any liability issues).

No elaborate wrought iron gate stands at the entrance of the cemetery, just plain wooden poles with a metal sign hanging from the top horizontal pole: Elk Mountain Cemetery. A long dusty one-lane road leads to the cemetery across a riveted beam and rail bridge spanning Mill Creek. The fenced cemetery rises up on a slight hill just beyond the bridge.

Old white marble headstones and new granite markers were scattered across the dry grass site. It is a spectacular setting for a final resting place. Looking west, those whose birth and death dates tell of their time spent here would see the most visible feature on the horizon: Elk Mountain.