Natrona County WY Archives History - Books .....Bridges Across The Platte River 1923 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/wy/wyfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 5, 2005, 7:10 pm Book Title: History Of Natrona County, Wyoming BRIDGES ACROSS THE PLATTE RIVER The first bridge built across the North Platte river in this part of the country was constructed in 1854 and '55, by John Reshaw, or Richard, a French-Canadian. The structure was built of logs, and it was located about three miles east from where Casper now is situated, being a short distance east from the W. T. Evans ranch. Reshaw's little cabin, blacksmith shop and a few other buildings were located on the south side of the river and he did a thriving business in the spring and summer when the water in the river was high. For crossing the bridge he made his own price, which the emigrants were compelled to pay. He usually charged $5.00 for a team and wagon to go over his bridge. If the water in the stream was so low that the emigrants would take a chance in swimming their animals across, Reshaw would reduce the price to $3.00 and sometimes he would charge only $2.00. From fifty cents to one dollar was charged for each person to go across, and for each animal that crossed over the bridge not included with the team hitched to the wagon, the same charge was made as for a person. Reshaw generally received gold as his toll. He had no difficulty in securing all the furniture and other household necessities he required from the emigrants, who generally overloaded their wagons when they started from the east, and if they had not discarded it along the trail before they reached the Reshaw bridge, they willingly gave him the luggage that was proving a burden and would necessarily have to be discarded before they crossed the mountains. Reshaw was married to a squaw, and five or six children were born, several of whom are yet living (1922). Mrs. Bateese Pourrier, whose home is at Manderson, S. D., is one of the daughters of the Reshaws, and she returned to Casper in 1918, and in company with James H. Bury, made a visit to the spot where the bridge spanned the river, and pointed out to him where their little home, the blacksmith shop and a number of other small buildings were located. Mrs. Pourrier was also familiar with the location of the buildings, the bridge, etc., located at Fort Caspar, having lived in this part of the country until 1867. The Reshaw bridge was burned by the Indians in 1867, and a short time after its destruction Reshaw and his family moved to what was then known as the Red Cloud agency on the White river, east from Fort Laramie. In 1875 Reshaw and Al Palladie were shot and killed at Running Water Crossing, which was between the Red Cloud Agency and Fort Laramie. Reshaw was supposed to have had a considerable amount of money with him. Suspicion pointed toward a man who was known by the name of "California Joe," as the murderer, and the Indians were not long in avenging the death of the two men by killing Joe. There is a legend in connection with the Reshaw bridge, or the Gurnard bridge, the latter being commonly known as the Platte bridge, to the effect that the owner, after having accumulated considerable wealth, became mentally unbalanced, and one moonlight night filled his pockets with gold dust, went out on the bridge and exclaimed: "You have given me all my wealth; I now give back to you a tithe!" And then he cast handfuls of gold into the water. Mrs. Pourrier says her father never did anything like that, therefore it must have been Louis Guinard of the Platte bridge. The story has been often told, and it being too good to be declared a canard, and there being no one to deny that Guinard did it, the legend must stand, and Mr. Louis Guinard, who built the Platte bridge, directly north of Fort Caspar, shall have the credit for having thus disposed of a tenth of his wealth which he gained by overcharging the poor emigrants for crossing his bridge, which, in this age, would be termed profiteering. Therefore it would seem that in those days human nature was just about the same as it is in this year of our Lord, one thousand nine hundred and twenty-three, in regard to charging excessive prices. But, withal, it must be noted that there has been some change, for there is no record of the profiteers nowadays returning a tithe of their wealth from whence it came, or even casting bread upon the water, as they should have been taught to do. The Platte bridge, built by Louis Guinard during the fall and winter of 1858-9, which was located about one and one-half miles west from Casper, is said to have cost $60,000 in its building. Concerning this bridge and others in this part of the country we quote from Coutant's History of Wyoming: "Early in the fifties Louis Guinard built a toll bridge on the Sweetwater river, a short distance below Independence Rock, and during the seasons of high water he did a paying business. He had a sort of sliding scale of prices, intended to be adjusted to the flood in the river. If the stream was running very high he charged $10.00 for a wagon and its teams. If the water was lower the charge was $5.00, and he also had a $3.00 rate. Guinard was a French Canadian and had a squaw for a wife, with whom he lived until the time of his death. He had two nephews, half-breeds, who lived with him. As has been related, the Mormons, in 1847, established a ferry for their own convenience on the North Platte, where Fort Caspar was afterwards built. This ferry was kept up for a number of years, but there was always difficulty in keeping track of the boat. Mormon emigrants were instructed before leaving the east to build a raft at this ferry in the event of their being unable to find the regular boat. About the time the bridge on the Sweetwater was built, John Reshaw, or Richard, bridged the North Platte at a point several miles below the Mormon ferry. He did a good business there, but was much annoyed because people refused to pay his prices and went up to the ferry and crossed somehow, either in a boat or on a raft. In those days the horses were driven across the ford, but the wagons were carried over on the improvised ferry boat, also the people and their effects. At last some one put in a good boat and stretched a rope across the stream, establishing a regular boat and ferry. This was too much for Reshaw. He stormed, roared, and finally gave the parties running the ferry $300 to stop business. He did not, however, purchase the ferry boat and rope, but he had secured the traffic for his bridge. W. H. Carmichael, who now resides at Wheatland, passed over the Overland trail in 1859, being one of the company going to California. The train was a large one, and when it reached Reshaw's bridge, the leader entered into negotiations with Reshaw for crossing. The price was fixed at $2.50 per wagon and the emigrants made up their minds they could do better by going to the ferry. Reshaw informed them that the ferry was a thing of the past and no longer existed, but the leader of the train did not choose to believe a statement that was made so clearly in the interest of the toll-bridge keeper, and consequently he proposed to go on up to the ferry. Reshaw then notified him that if he persisted in going on, he would be obliged to come back and cross the bridge at last, and if he did return, double price would be charged, that is, $5.00 a wagon. On went the train toward the ferry, and on arriving there they found the rope down and the ferry boat moored on the opposite side. The water was high, but a man was placed on a horse and took a rope across. After considerable delay and no little hard work, the ferry was re-established and the families, teams and goods were rapidly transferred to the north bank of the river. All but four teams had been taken over when Reshaw, accompanied by three men, all heavily armed, put in an appearance, and seeing the situation, his indignation knew no bounds. He abused and threatened those on shore, remarking that he had influence with the Indians and would see to it that they followed the train and despoiled the emigrants of all they possessed. George Morris, one of the emigrants, refused to be bulldozed, and drawing a revolver, covered Reshaw with it and ordered him to get in the boat and accompany a load that was going across, informing him at the same time that he would stand no more of his abuse, but that he might make his complaint to the leader of the train, who was on the other side of the river. Reshaw went over, and when he reached the other side of the river he burst out anew and fairly astonished the people of the train with his violent language. It so happened that the parties to the dispute were standing near a wagon which was occupied by a sick man. Reshaw heard the click of the rifle as it was cocked, ,and looking around to see where it came from, discovered that the invalid had him covered with his rifle and seemed to be fully determined to hold his advantage. This brought an end to the scene and Reshaw and his armed ruffians started back down the river, but with a parting malediction on the heads of the emigrants, threatening them with 500 savages, who at his bidding would capture the train, scalp the people and run off their stock. He then left, amid the jeers of the party. As soon as he had departed, a subscription was taken up and $25.00 raised and paid to the owner of the boat for its use. The train now proceeded on to the west. Reshaw's threat was not carried out, as no Indians followed or disturbed the emigrants. "The Platte bridge was the most notable structure of its kind in this part of the country in early times. It was finished, it was said, at a cost of $60,000. It was of cedar logs, built on cribs filled with stone and made to resist the current of the river and time. Martin Oliver of Casper, who, when he first came to the country, worked on the bridge, says that it was commonly reported that Gurnard came from the Sweetwater with $30,000 in cash, and this sum he put in the new bridge before it was completed, and that he spent every year large sums in building new piers and structural work. This, then, is the $60,000 which the bridge is said to have cost." The Indians set fire to this bridge and it was entirely destroyed shortly after the fort was abandoned, in 1867. Evidence of this old bridge is yet very plain on either side of the river, where, on the south side, there are seventeen stone piers, which were used to fill the log cribs that were built to support the structure and resist the current of the river. On the north bank of the stream, about two hundred yards west from the town of Mills, there is one stone pier, or pile of rock, which is visible only when the water is low. A man named Guinard worked on a ranch in Bates Park during the summer of 1911, and he said that Louis Guinard was his uncle. "My uncle and my father went out on the bridge one night to have a talk," he said, "and my uncle 'fell' over into the water and was drowned. My father then took charge of the store at the trading post nearby the fort, which was owned by uncle, and he also took all of his other property. My father was not married at that time, but a few years later he married a squaw, and a number of children were born." The man who told the story was one of the offspring of this marriage, and judging from the acts of lawlessness he committed, the disregard of the rights of others was handed down from sire to son, and the father was no doubt capable of causing his brother to "fall" over the bridge and drown in the river. The story of the "accident" which occurred on this bridge has been confirmed by men who were in this part of the country at the time, but as there were no courts of law here at the time, and as there was no way of proving that Louis Guinard did not fall off the bridge, nothing was ever done about the matter, except to make a search for the body, which was never found, but after several months one of the high- top leather boots he wore was found and part of the man's leg and foot were in it. These were given to his squaw wife who hung up the boot and its contents in one of the rooms of her cabin and for many months mourned over it in the regular Indian fashion. The fact that Guinard's squaw wife did not take possession of her husband's property after his death may seem strange, but in those days the squaw wife had very few rights and privileges even while her husband was living, and none at all after his death. During the winter of 1888-9 the Northwestern Railway company built a wagon bridge across the Platte river about a mile west from Casper, for the convenience of the stockmen and ranchmen in this part of the country who shipped their stock to market from this point. This bridge was built of piling and plank, and after it was completed was turned over to the county free of charge, with the provision that the county should keep it in repair. Every year a considerable amount of money was expended for repairs on this bridge, and in 1919 the necessity for a new bridge was realized, when on February 12 a count of the vehicles and horses was made that crossed the structure in eight hours and it was found that ninety-one auto trucks, seventy-five wagons, 230 head of horses and 121 passenger automobiles passed over. The new concrete bridge, immediately west from the old bridge built by the railroad company, was commenced in the fall of 1919 and was completed in August, 1920. The concrete bridge across Casper creek, only a short distance west from the river bridge, was built at the same time, the cost of the two bridges being $90,000, the expense being divided between Natrona county, the Wyoming State Highway association and the Midwest Refining company. The river bridge consists of ten forty-four foot spans and the Casper creek bridge has a 170-foot span. The old plank bridge built by the railway company was torn down during the winter of 1921. During the summer of 1922 a plan was devised by the Casper Chamber of Commerce whereby the new bridge should be lighted during the night time, by eleven pedestal or standard lamps on each side of the bridge, the current for which is furnished by the Standard Oil company and the civic organizations of Casper. Each furnished one standard with a name plate on each pedestal. The organizations which furnished the pedestals are the Natrona County Pioneer association, St. Mark's Episcopal guild, Casper Lodge No. 15, A. F. & A. M., Casper Volunteer Fire department, City of Casper, Natrona County Woolgrowers' association, Casper Civic club, I. 0. O. F. lodge, Spanish War Veterans, Chamber of Commerce, Redmen lodge, Knights of Columbus, Boy Scouts, American Legion, Elks' lodge, Rotary club, Daughters of American Revolution, Kiwanis club, Lions club, Casper Women's club, Order of Eastern Star, and the Business and Professional Women's Club of Casper. The Bessemer bridge across the Platte river was built in 1889 by the Wyoming Improvement company. The bridge across the river at Alcova was built in 1894, and the government bridge across the Platte was built in 1905 when the Pathfinder dam was being built. Several bridges have been built across the Sweetwater, one in 1894 by C. R. Countryman and the latest one being built immediately west from Independence Rock in 1920. The Chicago & Northwestern Railway company and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway company each have bridges across the river at Casper, and the Midwest Refining company and the Standard Oil company have bridged the river a number of places immediately west from Casper, until now bridges across the river are not given a thought, but in the early days, even since Natrona county was organized, the river bridges at Alcova, Bessemer and Casper were considered of vast and vital importance. Additional Comments: History of NATRONA COUNTY WYOMING 1888-1922 True Portrayal of the Yesterdays of a New County and a Typical Frontier Town of the Middle West. Fortunes and Misfortunes, Tragedies and Comedies, Struggles and Triumphs of the Pioneers and Illustrations BY ALFRED JAMES MOKLER Publisher of the Natrona County Tribune from June 1, 1897, to October 15, 1914 R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY CHICAGO (1923) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/wy/natrona/history/1923/historyo/bridgesa18gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wyfiles/ File size: 16.9 Kb