Historic Bridge

The Gilman Park Arboretum is the home of a historic Pierce County bridge which was moved to its new location in 1994. The bridge previously spanned the Willow Creek approximately eight miles southwest of Pierce where it was built in 1913 by Canton Bridge Co. of Canton, Ohio. It is one of only two remaining "rigid-connected lattice pony truss" bridges in Nebraska and these may be the only two remaining in the nation. Eighty percent of the cost of moving the bridge came from a federal grant provided by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) to preserve historic transportation facilities. The arboretum path goes over the bridge which is now used for foot traffic only.