National Register of Historic Places

Camp Clarke Bridge Site

Bridgeport, Morrill County, Nebraska
Listed
November 8, 1974
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
74001129

About this property

The Camp Clarke Bridge Site in Morrill County, Nebraska, near Bridgeport dates from 1875. Also known as 25 MO 68, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It is the location of a toll bridge built in 1875 by entrepreneur Henry T. Clarke, who provided a crossing over the North Platte River for what became the Sidney-Black Hills Trail. The trail provided access for freight wagons, stagecoaches and other vehicles headed to and from the Dakota gold fields, from the Union Pacific railway trailhead at Fort Sidney, Nebraska. It is about 9 miles east from Chimney Rock and three miles west of Bridgeport, Nebraska. Historic photos show a wooden truss bridge built on pilings in the soft ground of the river. It was "a massive structure... Two thousand feet in length with a solid six to one truss span." It was the only reliable crossing between Fort Laramie and North Platte, Nebraska. At the time of the NRHP listing in 1974, the North Platte no longer flowed through the bridge location, but was rather slightly to the north. On February 12, 1899, Camp Clarke recorded a daily minimum temperature of −47 °F (−44 °C), which is the lowest temperature ever recorded in the state of Nebraska.

Location

Bridgeport, Morrill County, Nebraska
41.69117, -103.17863

Categories

COMMERCEMILITARYENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATION
National Register nomination ›
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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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Nearby Historic Sites

Morrill County Courthouse
Civil War
4.4 mi
Courthouse and Jail House Rocks
Listed
6.9 mi
Chimney Rock National Historic Site
Modern
8.7 mi
Schuetz Log Cabin
Industrial
13.9 mi
Mud Springs Station Archeological District (Boundary Increase)
Industrial
19.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Camp Clarke Bridge Site listed on the National Register?

Camp Clarke Bridge Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 8, 1974.

What type of historic resource is Camp Clarke Bridge Site?

Camp Clarke Bridge Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Camp Clarke Bridge Site?

The period of significance for Camp Clarke Bridge Site is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Camp Clarke Bridge Site?

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