This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
Pecos River Bridge Saga and Its Death-Defying Feats
Reprinted from Texas Railways details the Pecos River High Bridge built by Southern Pacific in 1892. It describes its 321 foot above river base, 2180 foot steel span, early doubts by old-time railroaders, and dramatic incidents including a 1892 collapse that killed seven workers, Langtry judge Roy Bean’s inquest, and later tragedies. It recounts weddings on the span, Jimmy Doolittle’s under-bridge flight, and the 1943 wartime replacement designed to handle increased traffic, marking a turning point in American bridge engineering.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pecos
Rio Salado
Southern Pacific
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
Gulf
Pacific
Langtry
Roy Bean
Pecos River High Bridge
del Rio
Jimmy Doolittle
Doolittle
Pearl Harbor
United States
War Production Board
Gulf of Mexico