The Sarto Old Iron Bridge was built to address recurring flood problems in northeast Avoyelles Parish in the early twentieth century, when flooding between Bayou des Glaises and the Red River often forced the evacuation of people, livestock, and crops to higher ground and frequently destroyed low wooden bridges over Bayou des Glaises. After especially destructive floods in 1912 and 1913, the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury commissioned a steel truss swing bridge at Big Bend on May 5, 1915. Construction at the end of Sarto Lane began after the Police Jury approved a bid by Austin Brothers of Texas for $5,375 in June 1915, and the bridge opened for use around May 20, 1916. It remained in operation until 1988, when disrepair led to its closure. Its preservation and restoration depended on three Avoyelles Parish residents: Adam Ponthieu Sr. of Big Bend, who helped motivate the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury to preserve it; Eleanor Blakewood Marshall of Kleinwood Plantation, who researched its history and documented the events leading to its construction; and Carlos Mayeux, president of La Commission des Avoyelles, who helped seek restoration funding with assistance from the Avoyelles Parish Jury.