Facilities

The restored 1879 Zenas King bridge relocated to Tawawa Park in 2020 allows park patrons to cross from one side of Amos Lake to the other.

Zenas King was among a handful of 19th Century bridge builders whose bridges received wide acceptance across the United States. As the head of Cleveland, Ohio’s King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company, King developed his tubular bowstring bridge in 1859. King patented the design in 1861 and renewed the patent in 1867.

King’s square tubular members were simple to fabricate and ship to distant locations in pieces for assembly on site. Knowing that an arch has inherent strength, King’s design used less raw material than wooden bridges and enjoyed wide popularity until the introduction of steel bridges in the 1880s.

King’s tubular bowstring design stimulated widespread enthusiasm for iron bridges. By 1880 the King Iron Bridge & Manufacturing Company was among the largest manufacturers of highway bridges in the nation.

This bridge was built in 1879 and was originally part of two spans that crossed Loramie Creek on what today is State Route 66. The Great Flood of 1913 severely damaged the bridge’s abutments. The bridge was sold to Bernard Brandewie and relocated to his farm. The bridge remained on the farm until donated to the City of Sidney by Tim Hemmelgarn, restored and relocated to Tawawa Park in 2020.