This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Wauhob, Atkinson, Van Scyoc, Singleton, Hedges, Taylor, Belcher, Larimore, Rice, Webster, Clem, Smith, McCartney, Griswold, Elder, Frederickson, Blair, Richards, Wilson, Spangler, Trudeau Classification: Lookup Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/ok.2ADE/4180 Message Board Post: Several e - mails have contained a request for a description of the Fremont county neighborhood in which a person's ancestor had lived. (No, I do NOT think it "too much", in fact I often have driven around my own old neighborhood and have been surprised by the forgotten things that suddenly come to my mind during these trips.) But, instead of addressing each of your e - mails individually, I have determined to try to give a "catch all" approach which might help each of you in creating your own scenario: FIRST: Besides the Fremont county atlas's, the 1885 Iowa State Census shows that part of the section upon which people in the country lived. For the roads of that date, in your part of the county, be sure to look at the Fremont county map in the 1875 Andreas Atlas. Also, look for the location of the district school in your area, and associate the two locations -- (1) Where your family lived and (2) Where the district school stood. That road between the two would be a part of your old neighborhood! SECOND: One of the county atlas's outlines the district encompassed by each country school. (Was it the one dated about 1910?) I wished I had thought of looking at Fremont county's "THUMBPRINTS", because as I remember, that book copied the map for each township from that atlas. THIRD: Another possibility would be to look at the 1921 atlas which shows the rural routes in Fremont county. The roads used by each route had to be kept up in good shape, or the local post master could order a change in that route. SO, these rural route roads were undoubtedly good ones to take if you ancestor were going somewhere. And they had to be adequately,safely bridged. FOURTH: Keep in mind that many of the creeks and the East Nishnabotna, the West Nishnabotna, the Nishnabotna, as well as the Missouri river had to be crossed on a bridge or ferry. The streams had not been straightened and this meant that the water ran off much more slowly, resulting in deeper water. Thus, all roads "across the river" had to converge on that particular point where there was a ferry or a bridge. FIFTH: Entrance into the loess bluffs could not have been had just any place, especially from the Missouri bottom. Access via Waubonsee Creek, Green Hollow, Plum Creek, Possum Creek, Horse Creek, Coopers Creek, Neeley Hollow, Militia Hollow -- those are "about it". Roads would have been forced to head for those places. SOME OF THE OLD BRIDGES IN FREMONT COUNTY: By 1857: Wauhob's ferry had been used by the Sidney - Quincy State Road to cross the West Nishnabotna before 1857. But by 1857, the Van Scyoc covered bridge had been built; Hiram Atkinson appears to have been the builder. It crossed the river just below the mouth of Walnut Creek. If you happen to read that a person in Sidney took the road to A. J. Singleton's, this would have been the road which was being referred to. In 1857: In 1857, County Judge E. S. Hedges called for two bridges to built: ONE was to cross the West Nishnabotna at the mouth of Camp Creek. This bridge was referred to as the Taylor Covered Bridge, or, as the "Upper Bridge", since it was north of the Van Scyoc bridge. .........The SECOND was to cross the Nishnabotna in the area of the Old French Bridge (which was located near the northeast corner of present day Hamburg.) This second bridge became known as the Belcher Bridge and was built by J.C.Larimore near the site of the old Rice ferry almost straight west of Riverton. 1858: The East Nishnabotna Bridge on the old South Tier State Road, northwest of Farragut, was called one of the best of the covered bridges in southwest Iowa. It had been built by one Mr. Webster. However, two years after it was built, strong winds blew it down in 1860. It was replaced immediately by an iron bridge. It, too, lasted but two years before a flood wrecked it in 1862.....If you remember that the pioneers who lived in Singleton Grove and all along Walnut Creek would have crossed the East Nishnabotna River here, it should not come as a surprise to you to read that the iron and steel from this wreck that could be salvaged, was taken to Walnut Creek and used to build the Clem Bridge over Walnut Creek. By 1861: A bridge over the West Nishnabotna on the South Tier State Road had been built by 1861 by Mr. Webster. It lasted until an 1865 flood wrecked it. After this, the Story Ferry crossed the traveler.......I can remember an old iron bridge at this site during the l930: I do not know how old it was, nor when it was torn down (although it seems to me to have been during the 1940's.) COVERED. IRON, PONTOON BRIDGES IN FREMONT COUNTY: (See the Sidney Argus - Herald of Sept. 1, 1983 for a more extended account.) --From a very early date, there was a covered bridge over Pleasant Grove Creek in Sidney, where the street west from the square crossed it enroute to the town school house. Isaac Smith was paid by the county for covering bridges in Madison township. The county stepped in to help townships only where larger expenditures were involved. 1863: Milton McCartney oversaw the covering of the Plum Creek Bridge within the town of Plum Hollow (Thurman). 1868: John Griswold supervised covering the bridge over the Nishnabotna on the east side of Hamburg. 1874: The Board of Supervisors helped pay A. Elder for covering the slough bridge located on the line between sections 12 and 13, township 68 range 43. 1875: The Board of Supervisors stepped in to help Ross township pay Porter Frederickson for covering the bridges on the Sidney - Tabor road. --Sept. 7, 1876: The Board of Supervisors Journal shows William Blair supervising the covering of the bridges over Plum Creek on the Thurman - Tabor road. Milton Richards oversaw covering the bridge over Pleasant Grove Creek where that road crossed to the south, just east of the old County Home. Sept. 6, 1888: George Borchers of the firm of Birkby & Borchers of Nebraska City was in Sidney in the interest of the PONTOON bridge over the Missouri at that place. January 12, 1893: W.M. Wilson and J. A. Spangler have formed a partnerhsip in the bridge building business and we have an order from them for a nice lot of stationery. We understand they have the bridge work to do this year in both Jack Focht's and Tom Rhea's districts. Feb. 16, 1893: William Wilson and J. A. Spangler, bridge builders, jusst finished a large 100 foot bridge across Walnut Creek called the Tompkin's Bridge. May 18, 1893: Did your ancestor take the train to or from Hamburg? Norris Trudeau (1857 - 1917) had been hired to extinguished any fires on the covered railroad bridge northeast of Hamburg, caused by passing trains. In 1893, this bridge was replaced by a new iron bridge over the Nishnabotna. July 18, 1895: A new iron bridge north of Riverton is being completed. 1901: It was casually mentioned that there was once a red covered bridge over the Militia Hollow stream where the Bluff Road crossed it. Sept. 11, 1902: A PONTOON bridge will soon open at Plattsmouth. Nov. 27, 1908: "The bridge at Hamburg that spanned the slough has been removed and a great fill levels Main street and makes the passing even more acceptable than when the bridge had to be crossed. The bridge was one of the old landmarks of the city and doubtless it will be greatly missed as the ring of hoof and tire could constantly be heard and, also, the pedestrian will no more stand on the walkway of the structure with his hands resting on the railing and cast his eyes toward the waves that were going by." Apr. 18, 1929.--Page county has constructed the first suspension bridge in this area. May 12, 1932: "Another landmark gives way to the march of progress. The old wooden trestle across the ravine near the J. W. Egloff farm house, two miles northeast of Sidney, has been torn out and a modern concrete fill constructed to take its place. The work was done by the county's road forces......(John Ross of Walnut township put in many concrete bridges during his term on the Board.) Dec. 1939: The Brownville Bridge was dedicated Dec. 11, 1939. March 1983: Construction on the new Nebraska City bridge over the Missouri was to begin in 1984.