Ocean-to- Ocean Bridge
by Robert Bales
Title
Ocean-to- Ocean Bridge
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
Its steel structure has spanned the Colorado River for nearly 100 years, allowing an untold amount of travelers to safely cross the once-mighty waters flowing below.
The iconic Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge was completed in 1915 and is now a celebrated landmark in Yuma.
When you think of Yuma, there is the Yuma Territorial Prison guard tower and the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge,said Charles Flynn, executive director of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. It is an important part of our identity.
The Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge was the first and only vehicular traffic bridge over the lower Colorado River for 1,200 miles. It became the earliest and longest truss in Arizona and was one of the most important early spans in the Southwest.
In 1915, if you wanted to drive from San Francisco to New York, you had to drive 1,500 miles out of your way because this was the only place to cross,Flynn said. Thus the name Ocean-to-Ocean Highway Bridge.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, in 1913, after years of prodding by Yuma citizens, Arizona Rep. Carl Hayden piloted a bill through Congress authorizing construction of a steel highway bridge over the Colorado River at Yuma.
Yuma had always been known as the crossing point, so as transportation revolutionized, Yuma kept up with it, Flynn said. One of the first things Hayden did was to fight for the federal money for this project.
Some people call them earmarks, we call them historic landmarks, he added with a laugh.
The bridge would form a crucial link on the Old Spanish Trail Highway, which spans the country from the old Spanish colonial towns of St. Augustine, Fla., on the Atlantic coast to San Diego, Calif., on the Pacific.
The Yuma bridge was funded in part by the Office of Indian Affairs to help facilitate transportation between the Quechan Reservation and Arizona.
The state of Arizona contributed $25,000, which was matched by Imperial County.
OIA engineers in Washington designed the long-span truss bridge and located it at the foot of Prison Hill Road, near the territorial penitentiary and immediately upstream from the existing ferry.
The bridge trusses would be carried high over the river by concrete abutments and piers.
In June 1914, the OIA contracted with the Omaha Structural Steel Works of Nebraska to fabricate and construct the bridge for $73,800. But the OIA engineers were unfamiliar with the somewhat treacherous nature of the Colorado River and problems soon arose after construction began in September.
After portions of the construction were washed away twice in the winter months, Omaha Steel decided to erect the trusses on barges and float them into position.
On March 3, 1915, the 336-foot span was swung into place during a carefully choreographed maneuver. On May 22 the bridge was opened to traffic with great ceremony and celebration in Yuma.
In the 1930s, the bridge became a natural choke point that was exploited by California police during the Great Depression.
Imagine people heading west from Oklahoma and they get to Yuma and there are California state patrolmen on the north side of the bridge, Flynn said. Do you have a job? Do you have money? They look you over. And they turn you back. In fact there is an area to this day called Okie Town, and that is because they were turned back and had to find a place to stay.
That is how former Yuma Councilman Bobby Brooks came to be born in Yuma. His family was heading west from Oklahoma but was turned back. My parents lived in a labor camp in Somerton and in a tent out in Wellton, so they had it tough, Brooks said in September 2010.
As it turned out, the extra people stuck in Yuma became useful to area farmers in need of cheap manual labor.
Its steel structure has spanned the Colorado River for nearly 100 years, allowing an untold amount of travelers to safely cross the once-mighty waters flowing below.
The iconic Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge was completed in 1915 and is now a celebrated landmark in Yuma.
When you think of Yuma, there is the Yuma Territorial Prison guard tower and the Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge, said Charles Flynn, executive director of the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. It is an important part of our identity.
The Ocean-to-Ocean Bridge was the first and only vehicular traffic bridge over the lower Colorado River for 1,200 miles. It became the earliest and longest truss in Arizona and was one of the most important early spans in the Southwest.
In 1915, if you wanted to drive from San Francisco to New York, you had to drive 1,500 miles out of your way because this was the only place to cross, Flynn said. Thus the name Ocean-to-Ocean Highway Bridge.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, in 1913, after years of prodding by Yuma citizens, Arizona Rep. Carl Hayden piloted a bill through Congress authorizing construction of a steel highway bridge over the Colorado River at Yuma.
Yuma had always been known as the crossing point, so as transportation revolutionized, Yuma kept up with it, Flynn said. One of the first things Hayden did was to fight for the federal money for this project.
Some people call them earmarks, we call them historic landmarks, he added with a laugh.
The bridge would form a crucial link on the Old Spanish Trail Highway, which spans the country from the old Spanish colonial towns of St. Augustine, Fla., on the Atlantic coast to San Diego, Calif., on the Pacific.
The Yuma bridge was funded in part by the Office of Indian Affairs to help facilitate transportation between the Quechan Reservation and Arizona.
The state of Arizona contributed $25,000, which was matched by Imperial County.
OIA engineers in Washington designed the long-span truss bridge and located it at the foot of Prison Hill Road, near the territorial penitentiary and immediately upstream from the existing ferry.
The bridge trusses would be carried high over the river by concrete abutments and piers.
In June 1914, the OIA contracted with the Omaha Structural Steel Works of Nebraska to fabricate and construct the bridge for $73,800. But the OIA engineers were unfamiliar with the somewhat treacherous nature of the Colorado River and problems soon arose after construction began in September.
After portions of the construction were washed away twice in the winter months, Omaha Steel decided to erect the trusses on barges and float them into position.
On March 3, 1915, the 336-foot span was swung into place during a carefully choreographed maneuver. On May 22 the bridge was opened to traffic with great ceremony and celebration in Yuma.
In the 1930s, the bridge became a natural choke point that was exploited by California police during the Great Depression.
Imagine people heading west from Oklahoma and they get to Yuma and there are California state patrolmen on the north side of the bridge,Flynn said. Do you have a job? Do you have money? They look you over. And they turn you back. In fact there is an area to this day called Okie Town, and that is because they were turned back and had to find a place to stay.
That is how former Yuma Councilman Bobby Brooks came to be born in Yuma. His family was heading west from Oklahoma but was turned back. My parents lived in a labor camp in Somerton and in a tent out in Wellton, so they had it tough, Brooks said in September 2010.
As it turned out, the extra people stuck in Yuma became useful to area farmers in need of cheap manual labor.
Uploaded
April 5th, 2013
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Comments (11)
Christopher James
One of your peers nominated this image in the 1000 views Groups Special Features #18 promotion discussion. Please help your fellow artists by visiting and passing on the love to another artist in the the 1000 Views Group....L/F/Tw
Shoal Hollingsworth
This is wonderful, I have nominated this for a Special Feature in the 1000 Views group. L/F
Robert Bales
Than ks Robert for the fine support by featuring my work in your group. I hope to be back to Emmett by this week end.
Patricia Keller
Congrats on your feature in All Natural Beauty. Love it. v/f
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Patrica and I am sorry it took so long. I am still on the road. I hope top be back to Emmett this week end.
Pamela Patch
I am really loving this shot Bob, its great on so many levels! f/v
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Pamela for the wonderful comments and the f/v! I well be of line for over a week because we are heading back to Idaho.