Old Alton Bridge
a.k.a. Copper Canyon Road Bridge
Copper Canyon Rd., Copper Canyon, TXThe Pratt through truss bridge over Hickory Creek in rural Denton County near the site of the Alton community is a good and very early surviving example of a bridge type popular in Texas and much of the United States from the mid-19th through the mid-20th centuries. Known as the Old Alton Bridge, it was built as an important transportation link between Dallas and Denton by a particularly important manufacturer.
In 1882, the Denton County Commissioners' Court authorized the construction of eight bridges 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 underscored the importance of safe, efficient transportation facilities. A number of referendum elections were ordered between 1880 and 1895 to determine the expenditure of public money on iron bridges. In all of these, Denton County voters consented to the appropriation of money for that purpose. Consequently, some 10 iron bridges, many of them Pratt through-truss bridges, were in place in Denton County by 1910. The financing of the Old Alton Bridge was approved by the Commissioners' Court on August 20, 1884. Initial intentions had apparently been to construct the structure at another site, but the Court confirmed the Alton site in its August minutes. September 22, 1884, Court minutes confirm the final inspection and approval of the bridge.
The bridge was on the main Denton to Dallas road over Hickory Creek, a tributary of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River. It was placed near the declining Alton community, the county seat of Denton County from 1851 to 1857. It was hoped that placing a major road near Alton would breathe new life into the dying community but to no avail. It did, however, link Denton with much larger Dallas, and was a factor in Denton's late-19th-century properties. It was also a sign of modernity and permanency.
The bridge apparently was built from a kit provided by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, a major supplier of bridges to Texas and elsewhere. That company was incorporated in 1871 by Zenas King, and its name was changed in about 1893 to the King Bridge Company. Two similar Pratt through-truss bridges built from King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company kits in Texas are currently individually listed in the National Register. These are the Cummins Creek Bridge, near Round Top, Fayette County (N.R. 1975), and the Fort Griffin Brazos River (Clear Fork) Bridge near Fort Griffin, Shackelford County (N.R. 1979).
The Old Alton Bridge is significant for several reasons. While this bridge type was (and still is in some areas) a relatively common type, the Alton Bridge remains one of the earliest still functional in the north/central Texas area. It is in fair condition, has had only minor modifications over the last century and retains its design integrity. It was an important feature on a now minor, but once major, thoroughfare. Finally, it is a great source of pride for the people of Denton County. The structure is in danger of being replaced, and citizens are working toward incorporating the structure into a bridle path/pedestrian trail, taking advantage of the popular Lewisville Lake nearby. National Register recognition should further a greater appreciation of this important link with 19th-century Denton County.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.