Danville-Mickles Bowstring Bridge

Interesting. I have family in Danville, must remember to find this the next time I'm up there.

My wife and me have taken pictures of this bridge.We went bridge hunting one weekend taking pics of bridges.This one we found after running into someone else bridge hunting.

Visited this bridge at 3:30 pm on 11 Nov. 2006. The banks of the Petit Jean were silty slick from recent rise. There is a lot of vegetation obstructing this bridge and it stands fairly high in the trees, making it difficult to get good photos. It looks naked without approaches or decking.

Webmaster's note: The photos that were here have been incorporated into the main site.

Here's the Danville-Mickles in the wintertime with the water up.

The DANVILLE-MICKLES BOWSTRING BRIDGE is going to be nominated in April 2007 for the National Historic Register. Plans are underway to have this bridge moved back to its original location across the Petit Jean River at Danville Arkansas. The original piers built in 1879 still exist, but are in very poor condition and will have to be rebuilt. Going before the Mayor and the Danville City Council soon. On Febuary 19th I am giving a presentation and talk on the bridge for the Yell County Genealogical & Historical Society at 7pm at the Dardanelle Public Library. We have their full support on this project.

Further updates to follow......

GHOSTBRIDGEHUNTER

We were delighted to receive an email on 5/3/06 from Shari and Randall Houp asking if we knew anything about this bridge, which we did not. As descendants of Zenas King, the founder of the King Iron Bridge Company, we have been documenting the history of the company and tracking any of their bridges that still remain on our website at www.kingbridgeco.com. This is indeed an exciting new find and must be one of the oldest of the Z. King patented bowstrings still around, joining the Springfield Bridge in Faulkner County, the Fort Laramie Army Bridge, and the Hale Bridge in Anamosa, Iowa (the later two still have the same type of builder's plate as this bowstring.)

If there is local interest in restoring this bridge for some historic or functional purpose, our family charitable gift fund would be glad to make a contribution. Allan King Sloan

i am sure James of H.B.of the Mdwst / and everyone else for that matter - are tired of hearing me praise my friend Bob Knight for telling me about this bridge. too bad, we owe this man so much. Robert at the highway dept. has already thanked him, as have i. but if you other bridge lovers feel obliged to, then by all means thank Bob yourself. It is Bob Knight, not me that gets credit for bringing this bridge to our attention.

his address is simply:

Bob Knight

Plainview, ARK. 72857

Important Note:

My future wife and I are avid Steel Truss Bridge hunters. Last Saturday,May 27,2006, we came across the Petit Jean Bowstring Bridge. We are going again tommorow, June 3,2006. We are also very interested in the history of this bridge. Our research has found so far the following possible information: From the book,HISTORY OF YELL COUNTY ARKANSAS, by Wayne Banks, published July 1959, pg. 68 " The first real progress in road construction was the erection of two steel bridges over Petit Jean, one with a 100 ft. span at Danville, and still another over the route between Dardanelle and Hot Springs.These bridges were erected in 1879". Could this be the date of our "new" bowstring bridge??? More research to follow, including research on Mickles, Arkansas. If anybody has any information whatsoever on this bridge or others, please contact me at ghostbridgehunter@yahoo.com

Thank you Bob Knight of Plainview Ark. for directing me to this bridge. for 30 plus years i have driven on hwy. 10 south of this bridge never knowing it existed. imagine my suprise on sat. may 20, 2006 when i followed Bobs' directions and found not a Pratt Thru Truss structure as is common on the Petit Jean, but instead this historical Bowstring. LET US ALL TAKE INSPIRATION FOR OUR SEARCHES. I was directed to this bridge in a casual conversation at the car races one night, hom many more forgotten bridges in America are waiting to be discovered?GET OUT THERE FOLKS !!!!