March 28, 2024

Historic Red Bridge could make big move from Reasnor to Colfax

Quarry Springs seeks funding, local support to save landmark

REASNOR — Joe Otto left Jasper County for almost 10 years pursuing his education. During short visits, the Colfax native would make “little pilgrimages” to serene and forgotten places — pioneer cemeteries, sites near Metz and river crossings.

Many of those day trips would take him to the historic Red Bridge which crosses the South Skunk River near Reasnor.

“I’ve known about the bridge since high school,” the 33-year-old Colfax-Mingo alumni said. “When you live in a tiny town, there’s not a lot to do as a teen, and bridges were a good place to go. ... I’ve watched (Red Bridge) fall apart, planks falling out (and) holes burned in it.”

Otto recently moved back to his hometown of Colfax while completing a dissertation for a PhD in history from the University of Oklahoma. His focus is the history of the South Skunk River Valley.

Efforts over the years to save the crumbling Red Bridge, which was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1998, have not made traction. But a new plan is beginning to gain steam.

Otto and volunteers at Quarry Springs Park in Colfax want to move Red Bridge from its 125-year home near Reasnor to the 480-acre park off Interstate 80 and Highway 117.

“It’s a pie in the sky plan,” Otto said. “I really think Quarry Springs needs bridge access or downtown (Colfax) access. It’s a no-brainier that there should be connection between downtown and the park. It’s easier for people on the Interstate to access the park than in downtown.”

The idea is to make the bridge a focal point for that access. Quarry Spring Park planners are analyzing the possibility of trails or a South Skunk River Crossing in to the park utilizing the bridge.

Otto presented the idea of moving Red Bridge to the Colfax Park and Recreation Auxiliary Board — the nonprofit entity operating Quarry Springs — in November. He also applied to put the structure’s on Preservation Iowa’s Most Endangered Property Program to bring awareness to Red Bridge and the proposal to move the structure. It was added to the list in January.

The endangered list was started in 1995 to educate Iowans about the special buildings and historic sites that are in need of care and restoration. In the past 20 years, Preservation Iowa has designated more than 140 archaeological sites, churches, landscapes and a variety of other buildings.

The bridge was built in 1892 in Fairview Township, about 4.5 miles northeast of Monroe on the edge of the South Skunk River Wildlife Area.

According to preservation Iowa, Red Bridge connected Newton with Monroe and Pella in the 1910s before the construction of Highway 14.

Red Bridge is the last remaining historic truss bridge in Jasper County. In the last 25 years, the Jasper County Board of Supervisors have scrapped several truss bridges and replaced them with concrete structures.

In a press release about the Red Bridge, Preservation Iowa staff wrote, “Before the use of iron and concrete, bridges were narrow and supported by wooden pilings filled in with earth and stone. The Skunk River’s ribbon-like course made building bridges over it both costly and risky. In the nineteenth century floods regularly washed out county bridges, making it impossible to travel through Skunk bottoms.

“The Flood of 1881 washed out all the highway and railroad bridges between Colfax and Monroe, stopping travel for over a week. The completion of Red Bridge in 1892 would have been welcomed by local residents as a secure way to travel through Skunk River bottoms.”

Today, the bridge has been structurally weakened by flooding and is at risk of collapsing into the South Skunk River, according to Preservation Iowa. It’s seen some vandalism by graffiti, is impassable and inaccessible by vehicle.

But with its deteriorating condition, volunteers are not naive to the fact that moving the structure will not be easy, and a structural analysis is still needed to see if the project is feasible.

In an attempt to get the county’s support in relocating Red Bridge, Otto has reached out to Joe Brock who sits on the Jasper County Board of Supervisors. The two recently toured the site.

Brock said he’s “pretty confident” that the county has no plans to restore the bridge and put it back in service. The supervisor is concerned the structure could fall and require demolition if another use cannot be secured.

Brock said he intends to speak with the county engineer before taking any further steps.

“It’s a pretty hefty project,” Brock said. “I don’t know if it’s feasible to move the bridge, but if someone can use it that would be my first choice rather than demolishing the thing.”

Otto and Quarry Springs supporters are looking into grant opportunities to help pay for a portion of the move, should it be given a green light by the county.

Doug Garrett, president of Colfax’s park and rec auxiliary board, said moving the bridge is still far from a done deal, and board volunteers are still in negotiations with surrounding property owners who control river access around the park. But the project is generating excitement among park volunteers.

“It might be out of our scope, but we’d love to have (Red Bridge) as part of the park,” Garrett said.

But Otto and Quarry Spring volunteers are not the first to try and save the historic bridge. A Facebook group created in December 2011, and lead by citizens of Monroe and Reasnor, is still active and sharing news about the bridge.

To support the Red Bridge project and get progress updates, the public is invited to join the Facebook group Citizens in Support of Restoration and Preservation of The Red Bridge.

Contact Mike Mendenhall at
mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com