Thanksgiving in Howard

[W. Gray]

After viewing that bridge site, the iron bridges around Howard began popping up in my mind. One of them over Rock Creek is mentioned.

There was an iron bridge over Paw Paw coming from the north into town on K-99. Another was over K-99 going south out of town at the foot of Pine Street.

South of the cemetery was the low water bridge in the Elk and west of there over the Elk at the next section road was another iron bridge. Another was near the cemetery over Rock Creek and north of there at the next section road was another. There were probably others.

I suppose they all looked like the iron bridge in Elk Falls. All seemed like they were two-way but that may be a stretch.

The old bridge over "Crooked Creek" on 160 going into Moline was a low profile type of iron bridge.

One iron bridge in Greenwood County on K-99 was called the "belly bridge" by us kids in all of our family branches. If our Dads hit the going south up sloping approach just right and at the right speed, our stomachs wound up in our throat from the thrill we received and we thought that was just great for an otherwise boring trip to see Grandma. Always thought it was a sad day when the state rebuilt the approach and put in a new bridge.