Across the bridge you can see Lookout Mountain (now known as Turkey Mountain). The concrete piers of the bridge are used mortar casings filled with concrete. This photo was taken shortly after the bridge's completion in 1904. The sign atop the bridge says, "They said we couldn't do it but we did." This refers to the bureaucratic process involved in approving the bridge, rather than the physical challenges of building at that location. The Tulsa Indian Territory Corporation had to gain approval for the project from the Chief of the Creek Nation, the 5 Civilized Tribes, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and the Coastal Geographic Survey (CGS). Due to the CGS's concerns about keeping the river navigable, the bridge was redesigned so that its river elevation was one foot above all other Arkansas River bridges then in existence.
