From 1888 to 1938 the Rock Island railroad had nothing but trouble with the railroad bridge over the Cimarron River Valley. A hairpin curve and flooding presented endless difficulties, but the crushing blow came in 1938 when the bridge gave way under an engine and 12 railroad cars. To solve the problem once and for all, a concrete and steel bridge 1,269 feet long and 100 feet above the river bed was completed in 1939. Considered an engineering marvel of its day, the bridge was dubbed the Mighty Samson of the Cimarron. 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture Finalist