Monarch Bridge (Also Known as the “Monarch Road Bridge” and “Bridge Over Tongue River, Structure MGG”)

The Monarch was constructed in 1909. It served as the main vehicle and pedestrian crossing in and out of the Monarch Coal Mining Camp to the railroad lines on this side of the Tongue River. Monarch, located between Ranchester and Sheridan, was one of the largest early 20th-century coal mining operations in Wyoming and was a thriving community of up to 1,000 members during its heyday.

Monarch Bridge History

The Monarch was constructed in 1909 by order of the Sheridan County Commissioners, as requested by the Wyoming Coal Mining Company and local county residents. The Canton Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, won the bid, and the construction cost the County $2,100. This type of bridge is commonly called a “Warren Pony Truss bridge with verticals.”

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Before the Wyoming Department of Transportation was established, counties were responsible for building roads and bridges in their jurisdiction. The county awarded the contract in August of 1909, and the bridge was finished by December of the same year. It served as the main vehicle and pedestrian crossing in and out of the Monarch Coal Mining Camp to the railroad lines and passenger station on this side of the Tongue River. Monarch was one of the largest early 20^th-century coal mining operations in Wyoming and was a thriving community of up to 1,000 members during its heyday.

On the closest side of the bridge, note the remnants of a rail trestle that carried coal cars from the mine to the “tipples” on this side of the Tongue River. Each was loaded by hand with two to three tons of coal to be sorted and placed into railroad cars. Up to 100 cars a day crossed the bridge from the mine to the tipple and back. The coal was then shipped within Wyoming and across the United States. Although the new bridge carried motor vehicle traffic across the Tongue River for the first time, there had been a wooden rail trestle bridge for transporting coal cars since 1903.

Coal mining helped power the industrial expansion necessary for decisive victory in World Wars I and II. From 1903 to 1951, more than an estimated 4.8 million tons of coal were removed from the underground coal deposits at the Monarch mine, making it one of the most productive mines in early Wyoming history.

Before it was decommissioned, this bridge served the community of Monarch for nearly 115 years. According to the Wyoming Department of Transportation, it was the oldest Warren truss bridge remaining in active use in all of Wyoming. Even after the Monarch mine was shut down in 1953 and the community was abandoned, this bridge still served as the main crossing point of the Tongue River in this portion of the County.

Around 2015, the bridge was re-engineered to remove the wood road deck and replace it with corrugated steel. By 2022, its condition made it no longer viable to repair, so the decision was made to replace it with a bridge of modern construction and materials. In 2024, the bridge was decommissioned and moved to this location.