John Dunn Bridge

John Dunn Bridge
John Dunn Bridge
	The John Dunn Bridge in 2024
Coordinates	36°32′5.83″N105°42′31.34″W / 36.5349528°N 105.7087056°W
Carries	Motor vehicles, pedestrians and bicycles
Crosses	Rio Grande
Locale	Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico
History
Construction start	1908
Location

Last updated January 25, 2025

John Dunn Bridge is located in Arroyo Hondo in north-central New Mexico. It crosses the Rio Grande near the confluence of the Rio Hondo. It was built in 1908 by John Dunn who transported travelers and mail into Taos and housed travelers overnight at his hotel near the bridge. It was sold to the Territory of New Mexico in 1912, and at that time the toll bridge was made a free bridge to travelers. Recreational opportunities on the rivers include fishing, kayaking, and whitewater rafting. It is near the Black Rock Hot Springs.

Geography

The bridge is located about 3 miles (5 km) west of Arroyo Hondo on a gravel road that parallels the Rio Hondo.^[1] The road, off NM 522, runs through Bureau of Land Management property and is known as John Dunn Bridge Road and County Road B-007.^[2]

An 18-mile (29 km) portion of the Rio Grande called the "Taos Box" is used for whitewater rafting between the John Dunn Bridge, at the northern end, and the Taos Junction Bridge.^[3]

History

In or after 1893 John Dunn bought a bridge that crossed the Rio Grande and established a business taking passengers and freight from the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad at Tres Piedras to Taos. The bridge burned down and he rebuilt it in 1908.^[5]

He built a hotel near the bridge there for travelers. The hotel provided fresh fish from the Rio Grande and fresh milk from his milk cow. It was a toll bridge for which he charged $1 per person and less for livestock.^[6] He provided daily mail service from the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad at Tres Piedras to Embudo, Taos Junction and Taos, that was otherwise delivered unpredictably.^[7]

He operated the bridge until 1912 when he sold it to the Territory of New Mexico who made it a free bridge.^[5]

The bridge was closed in 2007 for the winter following a rockslide in October of that year.^[8]

Recreation

Fishing is available on the Rio Hondo near the bridge^[1] and on the Rio Grande.^[9] Kayaking and whitewater rafting are popular recreation activities on Rio Grande, particularly for experienced rafters. A put-in spot is located near the bridge.^[3]^[10]

Black Rock Hot Springs are located off a dirt road on the western side of the Rio Grande after crossing the bridge.^[11]

Related Research Articles

Taos is a town in Taos County, in the north-central region of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Initially founded in 1615, it was intermittently occupied until its formal establishment in 1795 by Nuevo México Governor Fernando Chacón to act as fortified plaza and trading outpost for the neighboring Native American Taos Pueblo and Hispano communities, including Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, El Prado, and Arroyo Seco. The town was incorporated in 1934. As of the 2021, its population was 6,567.

The Rio Grande Gorge is a geological feature in northern New Mexico where the watercourse of the Rio Grande follows an eroded chasm. Beginning near the Colorado border, the approximately 50-mile (80 km) gorge runs from northwest to southwest of Taos, New Mexico, through the basalt flows of the Taos Plateau volcanic field. The gorge depth is 800 feet (240 m) just south of the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, which spans the gorge 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Taos.

Arroyo Hondo is a census-designated place in Taos County near Taos, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 474.

Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers and is administered by the United States Forest Service. The Forest Service's "mixed use" policy allows for its use for recreation, grazing, and resource extraction.

Martinez Hacienda, also known as Hacienda de los Martinez, is a Taos County, New Mexico hacienda built during the Spanish colonial era. It is now a living museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located on the bank of the Rio Pueblo de Taos.

The Rio Chama, a major tributary river of the Rio Grande, is located in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico. The river is about 130 miles (210 km) long altogether. From its source to El Vado Dam its length is about 50 miles (80 km), from El Vado Dam to Abiquiu Dam is about 51 miles (82 km), and from Abiquiu Dam to its confluence with the Rio Grande is about 34 miles (55 km).

The Rio Hondo is a river in northern New Mexico. A left tributary of the Rio Grande, it flows approximately 20 miles (32 km) from its headwaters high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Wheeler Peak and the Taos Ski Valley to its discharge in the Rio Grande Gorge just west of the community of Arroyo Hondo. Portions of the Rio Hondo are prized as prime spots for bird-watching and fishing. The river was the subject of a 2005 study by the New Mexico Environment Department Surface Water Quality Bureau into the effects of wastewater from Taos Ski Valley, which is discharged from the Village of Taos Ski Valley Waste Water Treatment Plant.

Embudo is an unincorporated community in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. The community runs along both sides of the Rio Grande on New Mexico State Road 68, beginning at Embudo Station located 2.9 miles (4.7 km) south of the intersection of New Mexico State Road 75, near where the Embudo Creek flows into the Rio Grande, encompassing the communities of La Bolsa and Rinconada and ending at the Taos County Line.

El Prado is an unincorporated suburb and census designated place on the north side of Taos, in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. It is generally bounded on the south by the town of Taos, to the east by Taos Pueblo lands, to the north by Arroyo Seco and Arroyo Hondo, and to the west by the Rio Grande Gorge. The elevation is 7,123 feet. U.S. Route 64 and New Mexico State Roads 150 and 522 run through El Prado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rio Pueblo de Taos</span> Stream in Taos County, New Mexico, United States

The Rio Pueblo de Taos, also known as Rio Pueblo, is a stream in Taos County, New Mexico, United States, that a tributary of the Rio Grande. From its source in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains it flows about 33 miles (53 km), generally south and west, to join the Rio Grande in the Rio Grande Gorge. On the way the river passes by Taos and through Taos Pueblo.

The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is an approximately 242,555-acre (98,159 ha) area of public lands in Taos County, New Mexico, United States, proclaimed as a national monument on March 25, 2013, by President Barack Obama under the provisions of the Antiquities Act. It consists of the Rio Grande Gorge and surrounding lands, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Alberto Maynez was a lieutenant colonel who served as Governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo México between 1807 and 1808 and between 1814 and 1816.

Talpa is a settlement in Taos County, New Mexico, located 6 miles south of the town of Taos along New Mexico Highway 518.

The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway is a New Mexico Scenic Byway and National Forest Scenic Byway located in Northern New Mexico. It begins and ends in Taos, New Mexico.

Wild Rivers Recreation Area is located in north central New Mexico within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Two rivers that run through the park, the Rio Grande and Red River are National Wild and Scenic Rivers. NM 378 that traverses the recreation area is designated a New Mexico Scenic Byway. Recreational opportunities include whitewater rafting, hiking, biking, fishing and camping.

Palo Flechado Pass, also called Taos Pass and Old Taos Pass, is a mountain pass located in Taos County, New Mexico, United States on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.

Monticello is an unincorporated community located in Sierra County, New Mexico, United States. Monticello is located on Alamosa Creek, 22 miles (35 km) northwest of Truth or Consequences. Monticello has a post office with ZIP code 87939.

Buckman is a ghost town in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States of America, about 5 miles (8.0 km) south of San Ildefonso Pueblo, on the east bank of the Rio Grande in White Rock Canyon.

Manby Hot Springs, also known as Stagecoach Hot Springs are thermal springs located near the town of Arroyo Hondo, New Mexico. The springs discharge into three rock pools with sandy bottoms located near the ruins of an old bathhouse and a historical stagecoach stop.

The Picuris Mountains are a mountain range in northern New Mexico. They are considered a subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

References

1 2 Craig Martin (2002). Fly Fishing in Northern New Mexico. UNM Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-8263-2761-1.
↑ Andy Dennison. "Rock slides close John Dunn Bridge Road for winter." Taos News. October 18, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
1 2 Craig Martin (2002). Fly Fishing in Northern New Mexico. UNM Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-8263-2761-1.
↑ Old Stagecoach Road. Mountain Project. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
1 2 Marta Weigle; Peter White (2003). The Lore of New Mexico. UNM Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-8263-3157-1.
↑ "John Dunn Shops | Best shopping boutiques and garden in Taos, NM near the plaza". johndunnshops.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
↑ G. R. Williamson (15 May 2012). "John Dunn". Frontier Gambling. G.R. Williamson. ISBN 978-0-9852780-1-4.
↑ "Rock slides close John Dunn Bridge Road for winter." Taos News. October 18, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
↑ Van Beacham (August 2010). New Mexico. Wilderness Adventures Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-932098-82-2.
↑ United States. Forest Service. Southwestern Region (1990). Enchanted Circle and Valle Vidal Loop tours: Carson National Forest. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. p. 6.
↑ Matt C. Bischoff (2008). New Mexico Hot Springs. Globe Pequot Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-7627-4582-1.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Martin_p._91-1] 1 2 Craig Martin (2002). Fly Fishing in Northern New Mexico. UNM Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-8263-2761-1.

[2] Andy Dennison. "Rock slides close John Dunn Bridge Road for winter." Taos News. October 18, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2014.

[Martin_p._120-3] 1 2 Craig Martin (2002). Fly Fishing in Northern New Mexico. UNM Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-8263-2761-1.

[4] Old Stagecoach Road. Mountain Project. Retrieved August 12, 2014.

[Weigle-5] 1 2 Marta Weigle; Peter White (2003). The Lore of New Mexico. UNM Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-8263-3157-1.

[6] "John Dunn Shops | Best shopping boutiques and garden in Taos, NM near the plaza". johndunnshops.com. Retrieved 2024-09-09.

[7] G. R. Williamson (15 May 2012). "John Dunn". Frontier Gambling. G.R. Williamson. ISBN 978-0-9852780-1-4.

[8] "Rock slides close John Dunn Bridge Road for winter." Taos News. October 18, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2014.

[Beacham_p._189-9] Van Beacham (August 2010). New Mexico. Wilderness Adventures Press. p. 189. ISBN 978-1-932098-82-2.

[10] United States. Forest Service. Southwestern Region (1990). Enchanted Circle and Valle Vidal Loop tours: Carson National Forest. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. p. 6.

[11] Matt C. Bischoff (2008). New Mexico Hot Springs. Globe Pequot Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-7627-4582-1.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]