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Iron bridge
construction in Denton County during the 1880’s took place within
the context of the first dramatic population increase and development
boom in the country’s history. The last two decades witnessed the
establishment of the Exchange National Bank
(Denton’s second bank – 1883), the Texas Normal College
(1891), the first Denton City public free school
(1884) the first County Fair, the first telephone facilities,
and three major railroad connections. Iron bridge construction went
hand- in- glove with these developments. The same local newspaper that
catalogued these events reported an expenditure of
$125,000 on bridge construction and boasted “ a majority of
these are made of iron.” The iron bridge was seen as symbol of
modernity, a badge of
stature for the community and its growing economic and cultural functions.
As an example of the
country’s commitment to the construction of iron bridges, the 1883
Commissioner’s Court authorized the building of eight of these
structures on the county’s major transportation arteries. The fact
that the commissioners authorized the appropriation of $10,000 from
the county’s Permanent
School Fund to finance their Construction underscored the importance
with which they were held. A number of referendum elections were
ordered between 1880 and 1895 to determine the expenditures of public
money on iron bridges. Approximately a score of iron bridges, many of
the Pratt Truss type, were built in Denton County by 1910.
The construction and
financing of the Iron Pratt-Truss
bridge at Alton was approved by the Commissioner’s Court of
Denton County on August 20, 1884. Apparently, was to be built at
another place, but the Court confirmed its decision on the site in its
August minutes. The bridge had probably been under construction
for a number of months prior to this, because the September 22,
1884 Court minutes described the commissioner’s inspection and
approval of the completed bridge. The contract for the Alton bridge
was awarded to the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of
Cleveland, Ohio. This company was responsible for almost all iron
bridge construction in Denton County during the 19th
century.
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