Arcane Arkansas History: The Old Cotter Bridge

R.M. Ruthven Rainbow Arch Bridge

aka "Cotter Bridge"

Declared Arkansas' first National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1990, the bridge was built in 1930. replacing the ferry crossing that sometimes had as many as 100 cars waiting to pass. Designed by Marsh Engineering Company of Des Moines, Iowa- it is the only bridge designed by that company to be built in the state. Built at a cost of $500,000- the bridge was finished 6 months ahead of schedule using local labor for the construction. Upon its completion in 1930, the bridge was dedicated on November 11 and 12 in a ceremony attended by over 6000 visitors from seven of the nine states traversed by Highway 62.

A toll bridge at first, residents had to be threatened with retracted funding to use the bridge as they continued to use the free ferry crossing to avoid paying the toll. In 1938, when Carl Bailey, former Cotter resident and Missouri-Pacific conductor was elected governor, one of his first acts was to repeal the tolls because residents continued to argue the toll since the bridge was the only way in and out of Cotter. The April 6, 1938 Mountain Echo newspaper “Governor Signs Toll Bridge Bill” article details the signing of the bill abolishing toll bridges. The final paragraph mentions the Cotter Bridge and “Many local people took advantage of this fact to drive across the bridge last Sunday.”