Samson of the Cimarron Rail Bridge

Location:  Four miles southwest of Kismet on Hwy. US-54.

Nearest Towns:  Liberal, Kismet, Meade

Admission:  None; located near a rest area on US-54.

Photos, unless otherwise noted, Copyright H. Schuster.  Please do not use without permission.

The mighty "Samson of the Cimarron", with its exposed steel skeleton braced against the constant wind lets out a low moan as the air moves through the open girders.  Built by the Rock Island railroad in 1939, at 1269 feet it was considered an engineering marvel of its day.

The concrete pillars holding the giant structure up are styled in the "Art Deco" design which was popular during this period.  Three million cubic yards of rock and earth were used to build up the approaches to the bridge across the often dry, but flash flood prone Cimarron River. 

Ever since the railroad line first crossed the Cimarron River here, it had been prone to washouts caused by flash floods on the normally dry river.  The collapse and resulting wreck in 1938 was the last straw for the Rock Island.  Work began on a solution, a bridge which became known as the "Samson of the Cimarron".  The spectacular Samson replaced 3 1/2 miles of curves and trestles, and raised the railroad 113 feet above the river bed below.  (Black and White photos used with permission from the Rock Island Technical Society Website .)

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