By MICHAEL BUSHNELL
Northeast News
May 24, 2017
In 1936, the American Institute of Steel Construction selected the Hurricane Deck Bridge that carries Missouri Highway 5 between Versailles and Camdenton as the most beautiful steel bridge.
Crossing the Osage Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks at mile marker 35, the bridge is the only remaining cantilevered Warren Deck Truss bridge over the lake. It was constructed by Stupp Brothers Bridge & Iron Works in St. Louis and originally cost $655,000. It is 2,280 feet long and is roughly 28 feet wide on the bridge decking.
Throughout the 19th century, steamboats plied the waters of the Osage River. Crewmen on the boats named prominent landmarks along the navigation channel of the river. One such landmark was a long, flat ridge that ran along the east side of the river near Porter Mill Bend. Steamboatmen dubbed the long flat ridge “Hurricane Deck,” referencing the nautical term that refers to the uppermost deck of a steamboat, which provided a breezy place to watch the river scenery go by.
Upon its completion, a unique toll system was implemented in order to pay for the construction. To cross, a single driver paid 40 cents plus an additional 5 cents per passenger. Vehicles with trailers were charged 60 cents for car, driver and trailer plus the requisite nickel per additional passenger. The purchase of a round-trip toll ticket netted the buyer a dime discount on the total toll.
The bridge shown in this postcard was demolished in 2014 and a new span now carries traffic across the main channel of the Lake of the Ozarks. The card was mailed on July 23, 1937, to Mrs. John Stock of St. Louis. The message reads, “Dear Mother. Having a grand time. Surely is a beautiful place. Will be home Thursday morning. We eat fish all the time if Jim has his beer. Love Muriel.”