Historic Route 66 - Brush Creek Bridge - Baxter Springs, Kansas, USA. - National Scenic Byways on Waymarking.com

The Rainbow Curve Bridge also known as the Brush Creek Bridge, is the only remaining Rainbow Curve Bridge on Historic Route 66. The Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, on 10th March 1983.
I was surprised to find that there are fewer than 14 miles of the Mother Road in Kansas, but there are so many old alignments, that it is hard to find & follow Historic Route 66 as it no longer appears on maps dated after 1960.

From the National Park Website:
"Three and a half miles north of Baxter Springs, Kansas stands the elegant Brush Creek Bridge, the only remaining example of a fixed Marsh Rainbow Arch bridge left on Kansas Route 66. Two other examples, the Spring River and Willow Creek bridges, were dismantled in the early 1990s.
The Brush Creek Bridge, also known as the Rainbow Bridge, was part of a project in the early 1920s to connect the mining communities of Galena, Riverton, and Baxter Springs with a concrete road. The unique and graceful Rainbow Arch design was the brainchild of James Barney Marsh, a bridge designer from Iowa, who patented the concrete and steel truss design in 1912. Marsh spent the next two decades erecting approximately 70 of his Rainbow Arch bridges throughout the Midwest, most of them in Kansas, where approximately 35 still remain.: Text Source: (visit link) & (visit link)

From Reuters Website:
"There are, or were, only a few miles of old Route 66 in Kansas, down in the far south-eastern corner of the state, but this short stretch of road is considered by many fans to be about as close to the original state of the road as you can get.******But be advised to take a good map with you and watch where you are going, as the dozen or so miles of Route 66 still here 13.2 miles, to be precise is also notorious for getting people lost.******The highway passes through pleasant, green wooded, farmland and small to Bush Creek bridge like Baxter Springs, Riverton and Galena (all exuding a faded rural charm.******If you come to Galena1 this part of Route 66, you have to stop at the Bush Creek Marsh Arch Bridge which is between Baxter Spring and Riverton. This is the only remaining Marsh Arch Bridge left on Route 66.******For many years it was called Graffiti Bridge because of the names scrawled and painted all over it. But it has obviously recently received a fresh coat of paint, so for now it is graffiti-free, though who knows for how long." Text Source: (visit link)

Program: America's Byways Website: [Web Link] Official Name: Historic Route 66

Visit Instructions:
Please give a brief description of your visit. Maybe why you were there, what you found interesting, or something along those lines. Photos are also encouraged. Although the only requirement to log a visit to a waymark in this category is to physically visit the location, the photos and extra information you can provide about the area is very helpful to future visitors.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   10/24/2019 wildernessmama visited it 06/24/2016 stevepre2 visited it 06/07/2016 veritas vita visited it 01/31/2009 iconions visited it

View all visits/logs