Abandoned Bridge near Panama, Oklahoma

This massive thru-truss bridge was originally built as a railroad bridge over the Poteau river east of Panama, Oklahoma, Leflore county in 1903, 4 years before Oklahoma became a state. Built by the Midland Valley Railway to haul coal to market from area mines. After the mines closed, the railroad abandoned the line into Panama from the east, and the bridge at some point became a vehicular road bridge. This bridge is totally invisible from any road. It required aerial imagery and county maps showing old railroad right-of-ways to actually find it. As it now stands, it appears to be private property on either side. The bridge has some wood deck on the west side about 1/3 of the way towards the middle, where there is a welded barrier. Beyond, it is just the steel stringers. On the east side, is a very long wooden trestle, but almost impossible to get to to photograph. This bridge has been eligible to be placed on the National Historic Register since 1992.