National Register of Historic Places

Brush Creek Bridge

Baxter Springs, Cherokee County, Kansas
Listed
March 10, 1983
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
83000419

About this property

The Rainbow Bridge is an old bridge over Brush Creek approximately two miles west of Riverton, Kansas on former U.S. Route 66 (US 66), now a county road. The bridge is a single-span concrete Marsh arch bridge and is the sole surviving bridge of this type on the entire length of the former highway. Two other Marsh arch bridges were also located on US 66 in Kansas, both over the Spring River. It was built in 1923. The bridge has often been covered with graffiti, but was recently re-painted white. The bridge has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places (as the Brush Creek Bridge) on March 10, 1983, due to its connection with US-66 and is also a Kansas state landmark. In 2014, Kansas Rt. 66 Historic Byway nominated a bypassed 2.1 miles (3.4 km) section of original 1926 highway, which ran south from the Brush Creek to the Willow Creek bridge near Baxter Springs, for an NRHP listing. The bridge is fairly narrow, and due to traffic on the road, a replacement bridge has been built. The road curves toward the new bridge toward Baxter Springs, but a short, one-way road carries traffic to the Rainbow Bridge, which may still be crossed. This was part of a compromise after a disagreement between the county and the Kansas Route 66 Association as federal funds used for construction of the new bridge required demolition of the old. The bridge had been listed with the National Register, which prohibited condemnation of the old bridge. In the year 2000, country singer Brad Paisley performed "Route 66" on the bridge for the TLC special, "Route 66: Main Street America".

Location

Baxter Springs, Cherokee County, Kansas
37.07348, -94.74079

Categories

ENGINEERING
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Williams' Store
Industrial
2.1 mi
Johnston Library
Industrial
3.3 mi
Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station
Industrial
3.3 mi
Niles, Rial A., House
Industrial
3.5 mi
Baxter Springs High School
Industrial
3.7 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Baxter Springs – Fort Blair Assault
1863Civil War
3 mi
Battle of Fort Blair, Baxter Springs
1863Civil War
3 mi
Quantrill at Baxter Springs Kansas
1863Civil War
3.2 mi
Battle of Baxter Springs (Quantrill)
1863Civil War
3.2 mi
Baxter Springs Massacre
1863Civil War
3.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Brush Creek Bridge listed on the National Register?

Brush Creek Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 10, 1983.

What type of historic resource is Brush Creek Bridge?

Brush Creek Bridge is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Brush Creek Bridge?

The period of significance for Brush Creek Bridge is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Brush Creek Bridge?

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