Carpenter's Bluff, Texas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carpenter's Bluff, Texas
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Unincorporated Community
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 Carpenter's Bluff, Texas
Location in Texas
Carpenter's Bluff, Texas
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Grayson |
| Settled | 1860 |
| Founded by | E. E. Carpenter |
| Elevation | 535 ft (163 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
Carpenter's Bluff is a small community in Grayson County, Texas, in the United States. It's located right on the Red River, which forms the border between Texas and Oklahoma. You can find it about twelve miles northeast of Sherman.
This area was settled around 1860. It got its name from an early settler named E. E. Carpenter. He ran a ferry that helped people cross the Red River. This ferry was important for travel and trade.
In the early 1900s, a railway company built a bridge here. By 1936, Carpenter's Bluff had about 75 people and four businesses. Ten years later, in 1946, the population grew to 120 people. It still had four businesses, showing it was a steady little community.
Contents
The Carpenter's Bluff Bridge
Building a Strong Bridge
The Carpenter's Bluff Bridge was finished in the late summer of 1910. It was first built as a railroad bridge for the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad (MO&G). This railway line went through Grayson County. Its main goal was to connect with other railways. This helped the company get better prices for shipping coal from Oklahoma mines.
The bridge was designed to be very strong. It needed to survive big floods, like the one in 1908 that had destroyed other bridges nearby.
A Bridge for Everyone
The bridge also had a special "wagon shelf." This was an extra lane. It was made for people traveling on foot, on horseback, or in horse-drawn vehicles. Everyone who used this extra lane had to pay a small fee, called a toll.
Changes in Ownership
In 1921, a new company took over the bridge. This was the Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway (KO&G). They kept the railway line running until 1965. At that time, the company stopped its operations in Texas. This was because fewer trains were using the line.
After that, the Texas and Pacific Railway managed the bridge for a short time. Then, they gave the bridge to Grayson County and Bryan County. The leaders of both counties decided to change the bridge. They wanted to make it suitable for cars and trucks.
A Free Public Road
Once the work was done, the bridge opened again. This time, it was a free public road for everyone to use. It became an important connection between Grayson County in Texas and Bryan County in Oklahoma.
