[3] In the early twentieth century, the Missouri, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway constructed a bridge across the Red River at Carpenter's Bluff.

[5] Completed in the late summer of 1910 as a railroad bridge for the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad (MO&G) line, this landmark structure was part of a line through Grayson County to connect with other railways in order to secure better freight rates for their shipments from the Oklahoma coal mines.

Its design also included a wagon shelf, an extra lane to serve travelers on foot and horseback, as well as horse-drawn vehicles, all of whom had to pay a toll for its use.

[7] In 1921, ownership passed to the Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway (KO&G), which maintained the line until 1965, when the company ceased operations in Texas due to declining rail traffic.

County commissioners agreed to convert the structure for vehicular traffic, and upon completion of that work, the bridge was opened as a free public thoroughfare.