Spring River Crossing on Route 66

The best photograph of the Spring River from Route 66 is taken from the north end of the bridge looking south, with the road curving away into the trees and the water visible through the railings. Early morning fog over the river in spring and fall makes for dramatic images, and golden-hour light in the evening turns the limestone banks a warm honey color. Photographers with longer lenses can catch great blue herons, kingfishers, and the occasional bald eagle that winters along the river. The gravel pull-off has room for two or three cars, and there is enough shoulder to safely walk to the bridge railing without stepping into traffic, which on this stretch averages fewer than 200 vehicles per day.

About a half mile south of the bridge, a small county park called Riverton Park provides a more formal access point to the river, with picnic tables, a boat ramp, and a short paved path to the water. The park is free to use, open from dawn to dusk, and rarely crowded outside of summer weekends. Anglers gather here for trout fishing in cooler months and smallmouth bass fishing in summer. The park is not technically on Route 66 itself but it is signed from the highway and adds a worthwhile 20-minute side trip to anyone who wants more than a quick bridge photo.

Drone photographers should note that the river corridor falls outside controlled airspace, with no airport restrictions within a five-mile radius, making aerial shots permissible under standard FAA recreational rules. The combination of the curving river, the old bridge, and the wooded banks makes for some of the most rewarding aerial photography on Kansas Route 66, particularly in October when the cottonwoods and sycamores turn gold against the green water.

Spring River is one of only two streams in Kansas where the state stocks rainbow trout, which it does from November 1 through April 15 each year in cooperation with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Anglers need a Kansas fishing license plus a trout permit, both available online or at sporting goods stores in nearby Baxter Springs and Columbus. The trout season draws fly fishers from across the Midwest, and the easy public access at the Route 66 crossing and at Riverton Park makes this one of the most popular trout fisheries in the state despite the small geographic footprint.

Outside trout season, the river holds smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, channel catfish, bluegill, and the occasional walleye. Smallmouth bass fishing is particularly good from May through September, when the cool spring-fed water keeps the fish active even during heat waves. Kayakers and canoeists float the river from public access points upstream, with a typical half-day float covering about six miles. There are no commercial outfitters in Riverton itself, but rental services operate out of Joplin, Missouri, 25 minutes east, and will sometimes deliver to Kansas put-ins by arrangement.

Swimming is permitted but not formally managed, meaning there are no lifeguards and no designated swim beaches. Locals swim at gravel bars near the bridge and at a deeper hole just downstream of Riverton Park. The water is genuinely cold even in August because of the spring-fed source, which makes it refreshing but also means parents should keep close watch on small children. Tubing is popular on summer weekends, particularly in the stretch upstream of the Route 66 crossing where the current is gentle and the gravel bottom is forgiving.

The Spring River corridor has been inhabited for at least 12,000 years, with archaeological sites along the banks producing Clovis points and later Mississippian-era pottery. The Osage controlled the area at the time of European contact, ceding it to the United States in treaties of 1808 and 1825. The Cherokee crossed the river in 1838 during the forced removal known as the Trail of Tears, and a small historical marker on the south side of the Route 66 bridge commemorates that crossing. The marker is easy to miss but worth seeking out, as it is one of the few Trail of Tears sites along the entire length of Route 66.

During the Civil War, the river was a strategic boundary in the contested border region between Union Kansas and Confederate sympathizers in Missouri and Indian Territory. Forage parties from both sides camped along the banks, and small skirmishes occurred near the present-day Route 66 crossing in 1863 and 1864. The Battle of Baxter Springs, fought five miles south in October 1863, drew its water and supplies from this stretch of the Spring River. Civil War history buffs combine a visit to the bridge with stops at Fort Blair Park and the Baxter Springs National Cemetery for a half-day immersion in the region's Civil War story.

The cottages and resort cabins that once lined the river through the 1920s and 1930s are mostly gone now, victims of floods, fires, and the gradual decline that followed the bypass of Route 66 by Interstate 44 in the late 1950s. A few foundations remain visible in the woods along the south bank, and one surviving 1930s cabin has been restored as a private residence visible from the highway. The era of Spring River tourism was brief but real, and the bridge itself remains the most tangible reminder of when this small Kansas crossing was a stop on a working national highway.