Just the Facts
Division Street Bridge
Located just north of the busiest corner in Town, the bridge has been the central crossing point in Bristol, Indiana since the days of the first settlers in the 1830's.
Going to "Canada"
The earliest bridge across the St. Joseph River was a simple wooden structure erected to let people cross the river. According to Walter Menges, writing in the 1958 Bristol Banner newspaper, the part of the Town to the north of the bridge was commonly known as "Canada."
Graceful to utilitarian
The ten year old wooden bridge was replaced with a double span cast iron bridge, built in 1868. In 1870, a walkway was added long the west side, stretching across both spans. By 1895, it was known as the "Old Bridge." After the July 4, 1895, "Bridge Disaster," it was replaced by a third bridge that was refurbished several times over the years and finally replaced in the 1980's with a concrete one.
August '03 resurface
A fire truck was parked on CR 6 on the north side of the river that year, when the bridge closed for resurfacing from Aug 13 to Aug 20. Motorists had to use the bridge at CR 17 or in Mottville, a ten mile detour. At the same time, the bridge on SR 120 east, just west of Sam's Tire was closed as it was completely replaced until November of that year, diverting heavy traffic to old SR 20 and motorists to use CR 8.
New 35 yr. bridge
It was announced in 2004, that the recently resurfaced bridge needed to be completely redecked due to the discovery during the 2003 resurface that portions were more deteriorated than previously thought. The work finally began in mid-May, 2005, when a single open lane restricted travel crossing the bridge. The Town had negotiated not closing the bridge entirely, as had been done in 2003. Finally, the bridge was reopened after a 7 month traffic jam, in early December, 2005, and declared it would be good for 35 yrs. On August 11, 2009, the bridge was partially restricted during rush hour traffic for a re-coating of the surface.
July 4, 1895 Bridge Disaster
During the Bristol Homecoming on July 4, 1895, there was a boat race with Walter Menges in the lead and 12-year-old Earl App just behind. A large crowd had gathered on the "Old Bridge" to watch and dashed from one side of the bridge to the other. The west side walkway on the south span of the cast iron bridge collapsed under the weight of up to 100 people who were dropped 20 feed into the shallow water and the rocky bank below.
An account of the disaster remains public record toward in a google search that includes an account in the New York Times. The melodramatic reporting of that era listed various numbers of injured and even killed but no one actually died.
A page from gendisasters.com even provides a long list of the "most seriously" injured. A reporter from the Chicago Chronicle, a newspaper that only lasted 12 years, came to Town by train and wrote a series of articles including a feature on the injured Little family of Bristol that all fell together and who received a grim prognosis. All recovered however, and returned to their farm outside Bristol.
The bridge was demolished and replaced with the third bridge, which was in turn replaced with one made of concrete. There was a great outcry in the press about who would pay for the damages. The Town did not want to pay, and in the end, the County Commissioners paid for the claims of the injured, and for the new bridge.
The young boy shown on his horse on the old cast iron bridge was Ira Zeigler.
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