Dewey Bridge, Grand County, Utah 1985

This photograph, taken in 1985, shows the historic Dewey Bridge spanning the Colorado River in Grand County, Utah. Built in 1916, the bridge served as a vital transportation link for ranchers, miners, and early motorists navigating the rugged desert landscape long before modern highways reached the region. With its tall steel towers and narrow timber deck, the suspension design was considered an engineering achievement for its time—especially given the remote setting and harsh conditions.

For decades, Dewey Bridge was one of Utah’s most important river crossings, connecting the communities of southeastern Utah with Moab, Cisco, and the sparsely populated canyon country that would later become world-famous among off-roaders, hikers, and national park visitors. Originally designed to accommodate horse-drawn wagons, the bridge had a posted limit of 8 feet wide and 2½ tons, a reminder that even in the 1980s it remained a fragile survivor from an earlier era of travel.

By the time this photograph was taken, the bridge no longer carried regular highway traffic but stood as a relic of Utah’s frontier transportation network—quiet, isolated, and picturesque against the backdrop of red rock mesas and open desert sky.

Sadly, Dewey Bridge was heavily damaged in April 2008 when a wildfire swept through the area, destroying its wooden deck and suspension cables. However, preservation efforts continue, and the remaining structure is now protected as a historic landmark—still admired by travelers and historians as one of Utah’s most iconic early roadway bridges.

This image captures Dewey Bridge long before its destruction—weathered but intact, standing alone in the desert as a testament to Western ingenuity and endurance.