East Soldier River Bridge

The East Soldier River Bridge was located southwest of Charter Oak, Iowa, United States. It carried traffic on 120th Street over the East Soldier River. Steel was in short supply during World War II as a part of the war effort.[2] Many bridges built across the state were built in this era with timber, especially small-scale bridges. Heavy flooding washed out 27 bridges and culverts in Crawford County in May 1945. The county board of supervisors used emergency funds to build new bridges. They bought several steel superstructures from the Des Moines Steel Company to replace the wash-out spans. The bowstring arch-truss structures appear to have been designed by H. Gene McKeown, a civil engineer from Council Bluffs. This bridge is one of several similar structures built in the county. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998,[1] and it was delisted in 2020.[3]

East Soldier River Bridge
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	120th St. over the East Soldier River
Nearest city	Charter Oak, Iowa
Coordinates	42°03′28″N 95°38′01″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1945
Architect	H. Gene McKeown & Assoc.
Architectural style	Bowstring truss
MPS	Highway Bridges of Iowa MPS
NRHP reference No.	98000798[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	June 25, 1998
Removed from NRHP	July 31, 2020

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
2. Clayton B. Fraser. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: East Soldier River Bridge". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-03-28. with photo
3. "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List". National Park Service. August 7, 2020. Retrieved 2020-08-07.