Old bridge

The part of Colorado Springs I live in there's some trails that I've went walking on many times. In one particular place there's this decrepit bridge. Here's a few pictures of it from Mark Dabling Blvd. I'd always seen the bridge from the other side of the creek before.

I was researching the area tonight and why the bridge looks like does is probably the result of a flood that happened in 1935. Three bridges had been destroyed. The one that made the newspapers was a footbridge in a part of the park near downtown. This part of town, however, was part of Roswell which had been annexed by Colorado Springs in the early 1900's. 
   The main power plant for the city happened to be located in the center of Roswell. Around this area was a large number of coal mines that were dug into the bluffs and hillsides. I live a short ways from this bridge however and the ground consists of fill from the mines. This I researched once I found out about the mines as I didn't want my house falling into an abandoned mine shaft. 
   Apparently around Rockrimmon Blvd that's been an issue. There was also drainage issues where Nevada Ave and I-25 meets. Of course that intersection has about eight mines extending outward according to the Bureau of Mines map. I will note that directly across Nevada Blvd from where I live are some abandoned mine shafts. I'll note that not too far away you can see two of the beehive shaped kilns that was used to take the coal and bake it into coke for power plant. The power plant has been modernized but it's still there.

Here's a view of the bridge from the satellite in Google maps. As you can see it's in the left side of this image. Mark Dabling Blvd is to the left, and Mountview is to the right and points toward the bridge.

Now I'm really curious so I research further and I found this map from 1940. In the upper left hand corner is a block of city blocks that doesn't exist now. I think, though I'm not totally sure, that bridge was the access for the people living there who happened to be miners. I'll have to double check it at the library.

   That's enough of this little stroll through history. Have a great day.