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Table of Contents

List of Figures

Acknowledgements

Introduction

History of Oklahoma Highway Bridges

The Historic Bridges of Oklahoma
Steel Truss Bridges
• King Post Pony
• Small Pratt (3 panel) Pony
• Truss Leg Bedstead Pony
• Pratt Pony
• Pratt Half-Hip Pony
• Parker Pony
• Camel Back Pony
• Warren w/ Verticals Pony
• Warren w/ Polygonal Top Chord Pony
• Warren Bedstead Pony
• Double Intersection Warren Pony
• Pratt Through
• Modified Pratt Through
• Parker Through
• Camelback Through
• Modified Parker Through
• Warren Through
• K-Truss
• Deck Truss
• Mixed Truss

Concrete and Stone Bridges
• Concrete Arch
• Rainbow Arch
• Stone Arch

Endnotes

Bibliography

Appendices




PARKER THROUGH TRUSS

    1903	LeFlore		40E1272N4707000	  Pennsylvania Steel
    1908	Logan		42N3124E0730004	  Canton Br.
    1909	Tulsa		72-Private	  Canton Br.
    1911	LeFlore		40E1225N4775000	  Missouri Valley Br.
    1911	Muskogee	51-No Number	  Missouri Valley Br.
    1912	Tulsa		72N3950E0460005	  Canton Br.
    1912	Tulsa		72E0490N3950008	  Canton Br.
    1913	McClain		44E1470N3070001	  Kansas City Br.
    1913	McClain		44N3070E1330004	  Kansas City Br.
    1915	Pottawatomie	63N3380E1350004	  
    1916	Washington	74E0110N3930008	  Rochester Br.
    1919	Hughes		32-No Number	  Missouri Valley Br.
    1921	Creek		19E0706N3860000	  Concrete & Steel Co.
    1922	Mayes		49E0420N4400003	  Vincennes Br.
    1923	Cleveland	14-No Number	  Missouri Valley Br.
			


  A significant alteration made to the horizontal chord Pratt through, which mirrored changes to Pratt ponies, involved curving the upper chord, making possible longer spans, better distribution of stresses in the structure, and other advantages.  The polygonal shape kept the truss depth greatest where necessary at mid-span and shallow toward the ends.  Engineer C. H. Parker developed the design in the 1870s for spans over 200 feet, although builders frequently employed it, as in Oklahoma, for lengths of 140 to 225 feet.  Until World War One, fabricators in Oklahoam generally preferred pinned joints, riveted ones becoming typical in the 1920s and 1930s, even as the bridge type diminished in popularity.  The earlier pinned versions were supplied by the major companies, with the Kansas City Bridge Company, Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron, and Canton Bridge Company predominating in Oklahoma.
  The Parkers constitute a rich resource for the state.  In addition to offering some of the best examples of truss building that remain in Oklahoma, these bridges are notable as well for their cultural, technological, and aesthetic qualities.  When it came to building major structures in Oklahoma during the formative years of the road system, builders chose Parker through trusses.  The Kansas City Bridge Company in 1913 erected a multiple span Parker for the privately owned toll bridge on the South Canadian at Norman (Figure 8).  Elsewhere, Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron recommended this type for both the calvin bridge in 1919 at a major South Canadian River crossing for highways and railroads between Oklahoma City and McAlester, and the first federal aid bridge over the same river near Newcastle, south of Oklahoma City, in 1923 (Figure 24 and Figure 26).  The same preference for this bridge type in constructing major projects is evident in the Jenks Bridge, made by the Canton Bridge Company in 1909 to link Tulsa with the booming oil fields on the west side of the Arkansas River.  Only a single span from this structure is believed to survive.  Simular importance attended the opening of the Haskell Bridge over the Arkansas in 1911, a nine span Parker built for the county by Missouri Valley Bridge & Iron to connect Muskogee and Tulsa.  In these cases, along with several others that could be cited, the Parker was selected for its strength and efficiency, although the polygonal top chord lent it a graceful air not present in other types (Figure 62).



A 1909 Parker through truss, that once formed a part of the Jenks Bridge across the Arkansas River, now makes a splendid entrance to a mobile home park in Tulsa.
Figure 62.  A 1909 Parker through truss, that once formed a part of the Jenks Bridge across the Arkansas River, now makes a splendid entrance to a mobile home park in Tulsa.


  When constructed out of heavier materials, the Parker found acceptance as a railroad bridge.  In 1903 the Pennsylvania Steel Company, which worked almost exclusively for the railroads, erected a 203-foot span over the Poteau River for the Midland Valley Railroad then pushing its line towards Muskogee.  A premier example of an engineered structure, it has been converted into a highway bridge for motorists at Panama, demonstrating an excellent way to make practical use of an old bridge while preserving a piece of the area's history (Figure 3).



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