The Sarto Bridge is a swing truss bridge built in 1916 over the Bayou Des Glaises at Big Bend in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. It is also known as the Sarto Old Iron Bridge.[2]

Sarto Bridge
Sarto Bridge is located in Louisiana
Sarto Bridge
LocationOff LA 451 over Bayou Des Glaises, Big Bend, Louisiana
Coordinates31°04′26″N 91°47′33″W / 31.07389°N 91.79250°W / 31.07389; -91.79250 (Sarto Bridge)
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1916
Built byAustin Brothers (of Texas)
Architectural styleSwing truss bridge
NRHP reference No.89002027[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 21, 1989

It was the first bridge in Louisiana to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places,[3] which occurred in 1989.[1] Its swing mechanism was no longer operable, having essentially not been used since the waterway was deemed unnavigable in 1930, but it was determined that "the bridge still exemplifies its type and hence retains its National Register eligibility."[4]

It played a role in evacuation of Big Bend during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927.[2]

It is located in the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area off Louisiana Highway 451, and now brings the Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail over the Bayou des Glaises.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Bayou des Glaises at Sarto Old Iron Bridge". Atchafalaya Water Heritage Trail.
  3. ^ "Bayou Des Glaises: Sarto Old Iron Bridge". Historical Marker Database.
  4. ^ National Register Staff, Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation (August 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Sarto Bridge". National Park Service. Retrieved March 27, 2021. With accompanying two photos from 1989
edit