The Waco Suspension Bridge

In 1866 the Waco Bridge Company received a 25-year charter to build a toll bridge here, with a guarantee that no other bridge or ferry could be built within five miles. Construction began in 1868 and, after much financial difficulty, was completed in 1870. Traffic on the bridge included wagons, pedestrians, and cattle herds, and special rates were offered to heavy users. From 1875 to 1889 the public pushed for a free bridge, but the company kept its monopoly until 1889, when the bridge was sold to McLennan County, which gave it to the city of Waco as a free bridge.

Waco, Texas · United States