Continuing on in our series dedicated to the late David Backin, we go to Audubon County, in western Iowa, where this bridge and the state’s signature bluffs go together like bread and butter. It’s one of my stereotypes of the state, speaking from personal experiences growing up there. You see very steep hills where you’re driving like you are on a roller coaster- such as the Legend at Arnold’s Park in Okoboji– and somewhere at the bottom you see a bridge like this one here.
The bridge spans Nishnabotna River at 250th Street just a mile west of US Hwy. 71, two miles south of Hamlin and three north of Exira. The structure was built in 1958 by the Iowa State Highway Commission and features a pair of Pratt truss spans- a 5-panel through truss with A-frame portals and the other, a pony. Both have riveted connections. The bridge has a total length of 162 feet, of which the through truss span has a length of 90 feet. The width is 15.7 feet and the vertical clearance is 11 feet.
Unique about this bridge is its approximate location near a former golf course. At one time, the Greenbrier Country Club was located near the bridge. The nine-hole golf course was built in 1962 and this bridge may have been part of the course at one time. It is unknown how many years the golf course was in business but judging by the satellite view on many maps, it probably went out of business between five and ten years ago, as the golf course is now nothing more than farmland; the clubhouse appears to be privately owned. Golfing was a popular sports attraction in the USA, even in its hey day of the 1980s and 1990s. However, given many circumstances, such as high costs, competition, maintenance of the greens and vegetation and climate change, golf is on the decline, as we’ve seen a 10% decrease in the number of golf courses in the US in the past 20 years. With Greenbrier’s demise, much of it had to do with the competition by the Audubon Golf and Country Club, located six miles up the highway. The nine-hole golf course has hosted many local and regional golf events and since 2016, has a new club house.
Mr. Backlin has traveled through Iowa many times, as US 71 travels straight through the state, but this bridge he photographed in 2009. The structure is still standing today and serves local traffic.
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The Bridgehunter's Chronicles 