The Fromberg Bridge

The old Fromberg Bridge was the crowning achievement of Carbon County’s concrete bridge program in the early 20th century. It was the first to experiment with the use of reinforced concrete for bridges in Montana, mainly because of the presence of Gibson Concrete Works in Fromberg. Founded about 1909 by John Gibson, the company manufactured cement building and chimney blocks as well as ornamental cornices and columns. He also invented a nationally-recognized sectional concrete culvert. The Beley Construction Company of Livingston won the $10,000 contract to build the bridge in May 1914. Gibson supplied the cement for the massive structure. The bridge was built so that farmers, ranchers and children on the east side of the Clark’s Fork would have access to the railroad station and school at Fromberg. For a time while the bridge was under construction, children forded the river to get to school. The bridge was completed and opened for traffic in January, 1915. The multi-span, solid arch structure was largest of its kind in Montana. It was 219-feet long with ornamental detailing on the sidewalls of the arches and on the guardwalls flanking the narrow deck. The Fromberg Herald boasted that every citizen would “feel a degree of pride in the knowledge that they helped bring to Fromberg the largest concrete bridge in the great Treasure State!” The old Fromberg Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge eventually succumbed to old age and was demolished in the early 21st century.