{"nrhp_refnum":"90001898","name":"Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad Bridge at the Leon River","other_names":["#36"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Across the Leon R. at Taylor's Valley Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Belton","county":"Bell County","state":"TX","lat":31.06244446100004,"lon":-97.44324041099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-12-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A steel through truss railroad bridge carrying the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad over the Leon River east of downtown Belton, Bell County, Texas, believed to have been built between 1900 and 1915 on limestone piers.","why_significant":"The bridge is tied to the MKT branch line that gave Belton a direct rail link after the Santa Fe bypassed the town in 1881. That link let Belton keep operating as a market, processing and cotton-shipping center. It is also cited as an example of early 20th century bridge engineering.","narrative":"This steel through truss railroad bridge crosses the Leon River east of downtown Belton, Texas, in a lightly wooded area. It has a riveted Parker truss with a polygonal top chord split into five segments, and it rests on wide limestone piers of rough-cut blocks capped with concrete. Newer approach spans sit on steel and concrete piers. The Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad is believed to have built it between 1900 and 1915, replacing earlier trestles from 1882 and 1890. The crossing mattered because the Santa Fe Railway had passed Belton by in 1881 in favor of Temple. Belton offered incentives to persuade the MKT to build a branch line into town, and that line allowed Belton to continue as a processing and shipping center for cotton. The bridge is recognized for this role in the local economy from the late 19th century through the early 20th century, and as an example of early 20th century bridge engineering.","period_of_significance":"C. 1900 - 1940","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"No style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Historic and current function are both listed as rail-related transportation; approach spans are described as more recent steel and concrete.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.486981-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/5/9683/40968305/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/90001898.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968305","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002825"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bell-county/missouri-kansas-and-texas-railroad-bridge-at-the-leon-river-90001898/"}