Colorado’s Architectural Gems: Exploring The Legacy Of Historic Bridges

Before Colorado was even a territory, the Gold Rush had started, some of the first towns in our state were coming together, and the early settlers were already taking note of the locations that would require a bridge to unlock the land we would come to know as the Centennial State

Read More: What if Colorado's County Maps Still Look Like They Did in 1866?

There are eleven bridges on the National Registry of Historic Places in Colorado. Some played an important role in the development of our state, some showed off new methods of architecture or engineering, and some are just so old we want to protect them for as long as we can. Keep scrolling to find out where Colorado's most historic bridges are today.

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Colorado's Eleven Historic Bridges

In the photo gallery below, we'll look at each of the bridges on the National Registry of Historic Places in Colorado, and find how long ago each was constructed. Many bridges helped Colorado's earliest residents cross some of the waterways we still rely on today, such as the Arkansas, St Charles, and Gunnison Rivers.

Read More: Gunnison River: Navigating Colorado's Scenic Landscapes

Colorado's Morley Bridge

Designed and constructed by the Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad, The Morley Bridge near the Pomroy Gultch (Chaffee County) on the way to St. Elmo is the oldest bridge on the National Registry of Historic Places in Colorado. Completed in 1881, the bridge is 83 feet long and 13 feet wide and was built on wrought-iron pin-connected Pratt trusses. After the railroads left the area the bridge was refitted to allow for vehicle crossings before becoming a pedestrian-only bridge. It functioned for more than 120 years.

Keep going so see all eleven bridges on the National Registry of Historic Places in Colorado below.