“A living river by the door, a nightingale in the sycamore!”
“Envoy” by Robert
Louis Stevenson
Poplar Bluff is a river city---like many
other fortunate towns and cities throughout the world. Danger of flooding
accompanies this good fortune, but for the most part, the value of
the river far surpasses any detriments. The river can be a system
of transportation, offer recreational opportunities and be used as
a natural stream of beauty drawing people to its banks.
Black River was the mode of travel for the early explorers of this
region. It was also the mode of travel
for the great logging and subsequent lumber business of the early
days of Butler County and Poplar Bluff. And for many years it has
been the source of the city’s water supply.
The river was named in Arkansas by a French explorer in the early
18th century. He discovered the river near where it meets Current
River, and he called it Riviere Noire or Le Noir (the black).... Black
River in translation.
The river flows from Dent County northwest of Butler County. It
is fed by springs and rises from three forks, from the east at Centerville,
from the west at Black and from the center, Lesterville. Forming at
Lesterville the river runs south through Butler County on to Arkansas
where Current River flows into it and later the Black empties into
White River and on to the Mississippi.
For many years the river flooded east and south Poplar Bluff regularly
and also the farm land east and south of Poplar Bluff on to the Arkansas
border. Finally, in the late 1940s, Clearwater Dam was built near
Piedmont to control the flow of the river. This has eliminated the
frequency and severity of the flooding.
In the early days, beginning in the middle 1800s, the great trees
of the forests were cut and floated down river to Poplar Bluff to
be milled and shipped on by steamboats which navigated the river.
The steamboats also brought supplies and people to the area. By 1916,
the lumber business had passed its zenith, and the railroads had taken
over most of the function of transportation. Nevertheless, a pivot
bridge was built across Black River tying together the “existing
roads running east to Qulin and west to the south end of the ‘Big
Island Road.’ “ 1 The
east side of the river at that site was known as timber land, while
on the west was farm land, much of it owned by Charles H. Hargrove
and one large farm owned by Mr. Hargrove and Harvey I. Ruth, prominent
Poplar Bluff businessman.
The pivot bridge, which is the only one of its kind standing in
the state, rotated from the center to allow large vessels to pass
on the river.
According to a bill passed by the United States Congress in l906,
a bridge over navigable water required an act of congress. Believing
in its need, the Butler County court enlisted the help of the district
representative to congress, J. J. Russell of Charleston, to introduce
such a bill in congress.
The bill was passed in January1916 authorizing the bridge to be
built and constructed in such a manner not to interfere with the free
navigation of the waterway. A contract was let to Miller and Bocherding
of St. Louis in October of that year to build the structure that would
be named Hargrove Bridge.
Miller and Bocherding built many bridges in Missouri and several
in Butler County. This was a very innovative company. They used their
own patented truss in building
the floor of the Hargrove Bridge. Their system made the bridge a
very safe but light structure. It also was very economical. Hargrove
Bridge was completed on Nov. 15, 1917. There are only 16 bridges with
this unique type of truss standing in the state.
Because the era of large boats on Black River was rapidly decreasing,
the pivot bridge became more of a curiosity than necessity, It is
believed that the bridge rotated only a few times a year until its
last rotation in 1942.
However only six months after it opened the pivot was found to be
disabled.
Highway engineers were alerted and soon reported that the main center
pier had settled at
the base. They went on to say, “The pier in question hasn’t
settled out of line at all, but
straight down about nine inches, the settlement being started by
parties driving over a hundred head of cattle on the bridge when the
river was at flood stage.”
The bridge was repaired and served the area until November 1992
when a log jam piled up against one of the piers at the end of the
rotating section. High water that month caused massive wash under
the log jam which undermined the supports. The entire structure was
disabled. This damage may have prevented a catastrophic accident because
the bridge was found to have deteriorated so much it may well have
collapsed under the pressure of traffic.
Jim Mathis of Mathis and Associates Engineering firm of Poplar Bluff
recently wrote that the bridge served “as a local traffic carrier,
and more importantly as a regional landmark, diving board, fishing
hole, meeting place and lovers’ backdrop for several generations.
Engineering students and curiosity seekers visited the site to marvel
at the unique structure.”
Hargrove Bridge was selected for the National Register of Historic
Places in 1985.
Its value as a traffic carrier and its historic value prompted the
Butler County Commission to apply for a grant to fund restoring the
bridge in 1996. A grant was awarded through the Federal Transportation
Enhancement Program.
Measurements, structural analysis, plans and specifications for
the bridge’s restoration were made by Mr. Mathis. Bid letting
for the work was held in July 1998 with Jay Githens of J.W. Githens
Company chosen to rebuild the bridge.
Mr. Githens made every effort to use materials consistent with the
1917 originals, and substitutions made over the years were replaced
with appropriate materials.
The turnstile and gears that turned the bridge, and the center truss
that supported it during rotation were left in place for the inspection
of future generations.However due to cost, the turn table was not
restored for rotation.
Dedication of the restored bridge was held July 2, 1999, 82 years
after it was first opened.
And so the river continues to flow under the historic bridge and
leaves behind the water supply Poplar Bluffians need for their daily
lives and the recreation enjoyed along its banks and through its channels.
---
Photo: Hargrove Bridge before restoration.
General Research Sources
- Early History of Butler County, George R. Loughead
- Robert Manns, Butler County historian
- Butler County Assessor, Marion Tibbs
- Lee Gilleard, Missouri State Department of
Natural Resources, Historic Preservation
- Program, Jefferson City, Mo.
- Jay Githens, J. W. Githens Co. Poplar Bluff,
Mo.
- Jim Mathis, Mathis and Associates Surveying
and Engineering, Poplar Bluff, Mo .
1 Highway 53 S.
to County Road 658
