Devils Elbow Bridge (1923 Big Piney River)

The bridge was built in 1923 by the Missouri State Highway Department as part of the first major effort to construct a paved cross-state highway from St. Louis to Joplin and the Oklahoma border. The Big Piney River crossing at the sharp bend that gave the bridge its name had been a major obstacle to overland travel for nearly a century — the river is too deep and the bluffs are too steep for a simple ford, and earlier wooden bridges had been repeatedly washed out by flood events. The 1923 steel-truss design was a permanent solution that could withstand both the regular spring floods and the daily traffic of a modern highway.

The 'Devil's Elbow' name predates the bridge by decades. Local rivermen had been using the term since the 1870s to describe the sharp 90-degree bend in the Big Piney just upstream of the bridge site, where log rafts being floated downriver to mills frequently jammed against the rocky outside curve of the bend. The combination of the difficult navigation and the dangerous rapids at the elbow gave the spot its memorable name, which transferred to the small community that grew up on the south bank in the late 19th century and then to the bridge itself when it was built in 1923.

The bridge's structural engineering used the Pratt through-truss design — a configuration where vertical members carry compression loads and diagonal members carry tension loads, with the deck running through the middle of the truss framework. Three spans were used to cross the full river bottom and floodplain: a longer main span over the actual river channel and two shorter approach spans on either side. The steel was sourced from Pittsburgh foundries and was assembled on-site using rivets (welding was not yet standard for major bridge work in 1923). The original concrete piers and abutments are largely intact today.

When Route 66 was officially designated as a federal highway in 1926, the planners simply incorporated the existing 1923 bridge into the new transcontinental route. The bridge thus became one of the first major engineering features that travelers on the new Mother Road encountered in Missouri after leaving St. Louis. Through the 1930s — the great Dust Bowl migration era — the bridge carried thousands of Okie and Texan families heading west toward California. John Steinbeck's research for 'The Grapes of Wrath' touched on Missouri Route 66 segments including this one.

The 1940s saw the bridge become a crucial transportation artery during World War II, when Fort Leonard Wood was established just a few miles south of Devils Elbow and the highway became the main route for soldiers, supplies, and visiting families. The small community of Devils Elbow itself boomed during the war, with new motor courts, gas stations, and restaurants opening to serve the military-related traffic. Many of those wartime establishments — including what is now the Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ — date from this era.

Through the 1950s and 60s, the bridge carried the classic Route 66 vacation traffic that defined the road's golden age. Families from the Midwest and East Coast crossed here on their way to the California coast or the Grand Canyon. Vacation photographs of the bridge appear in family albums across America. The bridge was bypassed by I-44 in the late 1960s when the new interstate routed traffic on a higher alignment several miles away, and Devils Elbow as a community began its slow decline. But the bridge itself remained in service for local traffic, never abandoned, and was added to the National Register in 1992 in recognition of its dual significance as an engineering landmark and a Route 66 icon.

The bridge underwent a major restoration in 2014-2015, funded by a combination of federal historic preservation grants, Missouri Department of Transportation funds, and Pulaski County contributions. The work preserved the original 1923 steel truss structure while replacing the deck (which had deteriorated significantly), updating railings to current safety standards, restoring the original silver-gray paint scheme, and improving the approach roads on both ends. The restoration was carefully designed to maintain the bridge's historic character while making it safer for both pedestrians and vehicles.

Visiting today is straightforward and rewarding. Small gravel pullouts exist at both ends of the bridge — the south end pullout (near the Elbow Inn) is larger and more frequently used. Park there, walk across the deck on either of the pedestrian sidewalks, take photos from the various viewing angles (the limestone bluffs upstream make excellent photographic backgrounds), and read the interpretive signage that was installed during the restoration. The full walk across and back takes about 15 minutes; with photography and contemplation, plan 30-45 minutes for a proper visit.

From the bridge, you can see the Big Piney River flowing 30 feet below, the wooded river bottoms extending upstream and downstream, and the limestone bluffs that rise on both sides of the valley. In autumn the surrounding forest turns brilliant orange and red, making October the peak visiting season. Spring and summer offer green canopies and active wildlife — herons fishing the shallows, deer drinking from the river banks at dusk. For 2026 Centennial visitors, the bridge is the photograph people want to take in Missouri, and the Pulaski County Tourism Bureau is planning enhanced interpretive programming and possibly a centennial celebration event at the bridge.