About this property
The US 77 James C. Nance Memorial Bridge connecting Purcell and Lexington was originally built as a circa 1938 deck truss two-lane bridge and in 2019 rebuilt as a concrete pier four-lane bridge crossing the Canadian River and the BNSF Railway between Purcell and Lexington, Oklahoma. The bridge designated on the list of state highways in Oklahoma carries U.S. Route 77 (US-77) and Oklahoma State Highway 39 (SH-39) from McClain County to Cleveland County. The bridge is named for James C. Nance, longtime community newspaper chain publisher and Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate and member of U.S Uniform Law Commission. The Nance bridge allows travel time from Purcell (west side of the Canadian River) to Lexington (east side of the river) to be only 3 minutes by car, according to google maps. When the bridge was closed (Emergency Closure, below), the same trip was 43 minutes when re-routed North to the nearest bridge, or 1 hour and 4 minutes when re-routed Southeast to the nearest bridge. The Nance bridge features a scenic pedestrian walkway with sweeping views of the South Canadian River valley. The 1938 construction of this bridge enabled communities from West and Southwest (Byars, Cole, Dibble, Paoli, Pauls Valley, Purcell, Rosedale, and Wayne) side of the river to reach the communities on the east side of the river (Lexington, Slaughterville, and Wanette). Traffic using the bridge allows trade and commerce to freely flow in this retail trade area of southern McClain County, southern Cleveland County, Southern Pottawatomie County, and northern area of Garvin County, and eastern portion of Grady county. The 2019 rebuilt bridge features the same design elements with concrete post and original circa 1938 design wrought iron railings.
Location
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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.
Everything a full report reveals about US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River
This page lists US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
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Questions about this property
When was US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River listed on the National Register?
US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 1, 2003.
What type of historic resource is US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River?
US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River?
The period of significance for US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1938.
Can I research the history near US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near US Highway 77 Bridge at Canadian River will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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