Satank Bridge

Satank Bridge
Satank Bridge in 2008
Coordinates	39°25′01″N107°13′50″W / 39.417064°N 107.23068°W / 39.417064; -107.23068
Crosses	Roaring Fork River
Locale	Satank, Colorado, United States
Other name	Pink Bridge
Owner	Garfield County Board of County Commissioners
Characteristics
Design	Pratt truss
Material	Iron (pre-2011), steel, and timber
Total length	102 feet (31 m)
Width	13 feet 7 inches (4.14 m)
Height	17 feet (5.2 m)
History
Designer	Fred H. Bullen
Constructed by	Pueblo Bridge Company
Construction cost	$2,325 (equivalent to $87,876in 2024)
Opened	1900
Satank Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Colorado State Register of Historic Properties  No. 5GF.1282
Location	Satank, Colorado, United States
Coordinates	39°25′1″N107°13′50″W / 39.41694°N 107.23056°W / 39.41694; -107.23056
Built	1900
Restored	2010–2011
Restored by	Gould Construction
NRHP reference No.	85000211
CSRHP No.	5GF.1282
Added to NRHP	February 4, 1985
Location

Satank Bridge is a steel and timber Pratt through truss bridge in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The bridge crosses the Roaring Fork River at the unincorporated community of Satank near the town of Carbondale and sits on a trail connecting Glenwood Spring to Aspen in the Roaring Fork Valley. Designed by Fred H. Bullen and constructed by his Pueblo Bridge Company in May 1900, the Satank Bridge spans 102 ft (31 m) and is 14 ft (4.3 m) wide.

Garfield County's government, who contracted for the bridge's original construction, sponsored a restoration effort undertaken in 2010 and 2011. The restoration of the bridge – by then the sole example of a timber Pratt through truss in public use in Colorado – was partially funded by History Colorado in what was then that organization's largest single-project grant. Iron elements of Satank Bridge's original construction were replaced with steel by the Gould Construction restorers. The bridge has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985 and is listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties.

Description

The Satank Bridge is a single-span Pratt through truss bridge over the Roaring Fork River in Garfield County, Colorado. ^[1] The bridge was built to connect the unincorporated community of Satank and the town of Carbondale with Glenwood Spring and the rest of the Roaring Fork Valley by road. ^{[2] [3]} The bridge is owned by the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners. ^[4]

History

The restored bridge in 2012

In February 1900, the Garfield County Board of Commissioners announced that it was seeking proposals for a replacement to a timber and iron Howe truss bridge north of Satank to cross the Roaring Fork River. Unsuccessful bids were submitted by the Midlands Bridge Company of Kansas City, Standard Bridge Company of Omaha, Broughton and Morrill of Pueblo, Colorado. The Pueblo Bridge Company, also from Pueblo, submitted the winning bid of a $2,325 (equivalent to $87,876in 2024) Pratt through truss bridge built with timber and steel. The bridge's stone abutments had been built by May 7 and the bridge was completed a week later. ^[1]

In May 1917, the county commissioners indicated that they hoped to raise Satank Bridge and grade its approaches. During a meeting, the commissioners said that they could not afford those changes during that year. Residents of Carbondale present at the meeting then volunteered themselves to privately raise $300 (equivalent to $7,363in 2024) to assist with the costs, which the county accepted. ^[5] The bridge was raised about 3 ft (0.91 m). The raising, which included installing concrete additions to the piers, was completed by June and was followed by grading. ^[3]

Already among the oldest roadway truss bridges in Colorado by 1983, the Satank Bridge had become the only surviving public timber Pratt through truss bridge upon the Virginia Dale Bridge's demolition. When it was surveyed for the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record in 1983, the bridge remained in good condition and was recognized as for its significance as a remnant among Coloradan bridges. ^[1] The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a site of engineering significance on February 4, 1985. ^[6] The bridge is also on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. ^[7]

By 2010, the bridge had developed significant structural deterioration. In 1994, the bridge had been closed to vehicular traffic, with pedestrians prohibited from crossing the bridge starting in 2003. ^[8]

Restoration work funded by Garfield County and a History Colorado grant began in 2010. At $297,500 (equivalent to $415,840in 2024) the History Colorado grant was the largest ever given by the society to a single project. The total cost was estimated to be at least $750,000 (equivalent to $1,048,336in 2024). ^[9] A ribbon cutting ceremony for the reopened bridge was performed on May 12, 2011. ^[9] The restoration work was performed by Gould Construction. ^[4]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Garfield County, Colorado

References

1. Fraser, Clayton; Cason, Susan (November 21, 1983). Satank Bridge. National Register of Historic Places.
2. Colson, John (May 13, 2011). "Local effort gives Carbondale's Satank Bridge new life". The Aspen Times . Retrieved October 29, 2025.
3. "Local News". The Glenwood Post . Vol. XXVI, no. 40. Glenwood Springs, CO. June 9, 1917. p. 5.
4. "Satank Bridge". gouldconstruction.com. Gould Construction. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
5. "Not So Bad As It Might Be". The Glenwood Post . Vol. XXVI, no. 36. Glenwood Springs, CO. May 12, 1917. p. 5.
6. "Satank Bridge". npgallery.nps.gov. National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service . Retrieved November 1, 2025.
7. "Satank Bridge". historycolorado.org. History Colorado . Retrieved October 29, 2025.
8. Colson, John (September 4, 2010). "Satank's 'Pink Bridge' to get a facelift". Glenwood Springs Post Independent . Glenwood Springs, CO . Retrieved October 29, 2025.
9. "Renovation Complete of 111-Year Old Satank Bridge". garfieldcountyco.gov. Garfield County, Colorado. May 12, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2025.