Hemphill County contracted in 1915 to build a bridge across the Canadian River, and construction of the Canadian River Wagon Bridge was completed in July, 1916. The bridge consisted of seventeen 153.5-foot pin-connected Parker through-truss spans, measuring 16 feet wide and 2,635 feet in total length. After completion, it was said to be the largest steel structure west of the Mississippi. In 1923, the Canadian River's raging waters cut a new channel around the bridge's north end, requiring the addition there of four identical spans and an approach span. With its new length of 3,255 feet, it became the longest pin-connected bridge in Texas. In recent years, a committee of interested citizens raised funds, along with matching grants, to renovate the bridge by laying wooden planked flooring and decking and installing side-guard railings to create a walking bridge. After five years of work, it reopened on July 1, 2000, restored as part of a new scenic hiking and biking trail over the Canadian River Valley and wetlands habitat.