{"nrhp_refnum":"88000979","name":"Old Alton Bridge","other_names":["Copper Canyon Road Bridge"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Copper Canyon Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Copper Canyon","county":"Denton County","state":"TX","lat":33.12933080500005,"lon":-97.10401902399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-07-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An iron Pratt through-truss bridge about 145 feet long carrying Copper Canyon Road over Hickory Creek near Copper Canyon, Denton County, Texas, built in 1884 from a King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company kit.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is one of the oldest surviving Pratt through-truss bridges in Texas and one of the earliest still functional in north central Texas. It served as a link on the main Denton to Dallas road and was supplied by a major bridge manufacturer. It retains its design integrity with only minor modifications.","narrative":"Carrying Copper Canyon Road across Hickory Creek in rural Denton County, this iron bridge is a Pratt through-truss structure about 145 feet long. A six-panel main span of 108 feet is flanked by two secondary spans of I-beams, and the 14-foot timber deck sits on paired masonry-filled iron caissons. Denton County's Commissioners' Court approved financing in August 1884 and confirmed final inspection that September. The crossing lay on the main Denton to Dallas road near Alton, the former county seat, and officials hoped it would revive the fading community, though it did not. The bridge appears to have been built from a kit supplied by the King Iron Bridge and Manufacturing Company of Cleveland, a major supplier to Texas. It is regarded as one of the oldest surviving examples of its type in the state, retains its design integrity, and is a source of local pride. Local citizens have sought to preserve it for trail use.","period_of_significance":"1884","architect_builder":"King Iron & Bridge Manufacturing Company","architectural_style":"Pratt through-truss bridge","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in fair condition with minor modifications over the last century; the structure was reported to be in danger of replacement, and citizens hoped to incorporate it into a bridle path and pedestrian trail.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.045733-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/7/9718/40971807/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/88000979.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000979/b119e448a0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88000979/b119e448a0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"Ron from Denton, Texas","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Alton_Bridge.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ron from Denton, Texas</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Alton_Bridge.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971807","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Alton_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7083385"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/denton-county/old-alton-bridge-88000979/"}