{"id":13126,"date":"2026-05-24T19:41:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T00:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsallinthesynapse.net\/Family_History\/?p=13126"},"modified":"2026-05-24T19:41:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T00:41:38","slug":"the-history-of-spider-leg-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsallinthesynapse.net\/Family_History\/the-history-of-spider-leg-bridge\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of Spider Leg Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A bridge at the edge of Crawford State Park (a.k.a. Farlington Lake) was known as Spider Leg Bridge\/Spiderleg Bridge (spellings are used interchangeably).  I have photographs of the bridge with many workmen, my family included.  So, exactly what was going on at Spiderleg?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Spider Leg Bridge<\/h1>\n

Spider Leg Bridge was built across Drywood Creek about or before 1860.  The initial use of the bridge is unclear.  It is possible the bridge was built to support action in the area related to the Cherokee Indian Neutral Lands.  However, it may have been built in preparation for the railroad to come through the area.<\/p>\n

The bridge has multiple wooden supports resembling telephone poles that extend outward.  People decided that style of bridge resembles a spider\u2019s legs.  Thus, leading to its name.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Neutral Lands<\/h2>\n

Land in what became Crawford County, Kansas had been given to the Cherokee Indians in 1835 as part of a settlement for their removal from Georgia. However, white settlers had begun moving into the area and the Cherokee Indians began demanding compensation since the \u201cwhite\u201d men were taking their land. <\/p>\n

The federal government decided that instead of paying the Indians that they would remove white men from the lands.  Thus, in the fall of 1860, a military outpost was established near the bridge to deal with the removal of white settlers from the neutral lands and to protect interests of the railroad.<\/p>\n

The two companies of soldiers stationed at the location also helped protect the bridge as the government was concerned that people might try to destroy it.  Some reports state that they used an old railroad caboose for shelter.  However, other reports state that they built two-room cabins on the site.  Perhaps both were in use.<\/p>\n

When the Civil War came along, the work in the neutral lands came to a halt although the neutral lands had not been completely cleared of squatters.  It is unclear if the military continued to guard the bridge during the war.  It is very possible that they did, given that the Border War was not far away.<\/p>\n

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The Railroad<\/h2>\n

After the Civil War, the government made an agreement with the Cherokee regarding the neutral lands and soon Crawford County was formed.  This removed barriers for the railroads to expand.  Therefore, the Missouri River, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad\/Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad built an extension through the area.  The new rail line became active in late 1869 or 1870.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The New Bridge<\/h1>\n

Grandpa Joseph Andrew \u201cJoe\u201d McCracken and his brother Ernest Franklin McCracken were among the men who built a new railroad bridge at the site in 1914.  I believe my great-uncle Passco \u201cPat\u201d Peelle may also have worked at the site.<\/p>\n

The wooden bridge didn\u2019t look strong, but had surprisingly served for many years.  However, trains with heavy coal required something with even more strength.  Therefore, the new bridge was not of spiderleg design.  Instead, it was a closed-spandrel arch bridge and was not nearly as high as the spiderleg.<\/p>\n

Work began in the fall of 1913.  By early 1914, the concrete (or whatever material) work had been completed.  However, the work had really just begun as the approaches to the bridge had to be cut down and built up in each direction with work extending out a quarter of a mile in each direction.<\/p>\n

Although the bridge was much lower that the original spiderleg, it still required up to a 55-foot fill over a long distance.  Thus, the effort moving earth far exceeded the effort required to build the actual bridge structure. <\/p>\n

The following year when heavy rains came, issues occurred with the approaches to the bridge.  The people in charge of the bridge were not surprised that dirt had washed away or that other issues with the bridge approaches had occurred.  They said that it simply takes time for 55-feet of dirt to settle.  So, they got crews out to work on the approaches to the bridge.<\/p>\n

The Pittsburg Daily Headlight stated, \u201cThe bridge, however, is guaranteed to hold for ages . . .\u201d<\/p>\n

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Today<\/h1>\n

In 2001, significant work was done at the site to ensure that bridge from 1914 continued to hold strong.<\/p>\n

The BNSF still uses that rail line today.  Trains regularly travel over that bridge.  Although the original Spider Leg Bridge is long gone, the area\/bridge remains known as Spider Leg Bridge.<\/p>\n

Today there is an ADA accessible half-mile walking trail that takes you to the area of Spider Leg Bridge.  You can view the foundations of buildings that were on the location when the military outpost was located on the site.  Historical information about the military outpost is also posted along the trail.  It is accessible year-around, but does require a park permit. <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more information on the trail – https:\/\/www.alltrails.com\/trail\/us\/kansas\/spider-bridge-creek-trail<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Take a virtual hike along the trail – https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=11S7ouPGFmw<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Prompt: Suprisingly Strong<\/p>\n

#52ancestors52weeks<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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  A bridge at the edge of Crawford State Park (a.k.a. Farlington Lake) was known as Spider Leg Bridge\/Spiderleg Bridge (spellings are used interchangeably).  I have photographs of the bridge with many workmen, my family included.  So, exactly what was going on at Spiderleg?   Spider Leg Bridge Spider Leg Bridge was built across Drywood Creek about or before 1860.  The initial use of the bridge is unclear.  It is possible the bridge was built […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13128,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mccracken","category-peelle"],"yoast_head":"\nThe History of Spider Leg Bridge - Family History<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsallinthesynapse.net\/Family_History\/the-history-of-spider-leg-bridge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The History of Spider Leg Bridge - Family History\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"  A bridge at the edge of Crawford State Park (a.k.a. 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