Keel Creek Bridge

Prior to the Great Depression, the economy of Coal County, Oklahoma was already very poor; the county's main product, coal, was no longer in demand by railroads, which had switched to oil-powered trains, and boll weevils had decimated the county's cotton farms.^[2][4] The railroads abandoned the lines to Coal County since coal was no longer needed.^[2] The Great Depression further weakened the county economy.^[2] A variety of New Deal projects were completed in Coal County, which provided needed employment and improved the quality of life.^[2] Coal County had historically had very poor roads, and the end of railroad transport in Coal County meant that roads were an essential means of transportation.^[2] Coal County thus prioritized infrastructure improvements, ranging from road resurfacing to bridge construction.^[2] Between 10 and 15 bridges were built in Coal County, including the Keel Creek Bridge.^[2] The Keel Creek Bridge was completed in 1940 as a Farm-to-market road project.^[2] In 2007, when it was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places, it was still in use, even though many of the WPA bridges in Coal County had been replaced.^[2]

The bridge is a concrete slab bridge with a sandstone foundation.^[2] Stone was chosen because it would require the greatest number of workers.^[2] The poured concrete slab deck was chosen because it met Oklahoma highway department of transportation standards for strength and width.^[2] The bridge has three spans with two piers and, the bridge deck is around 18 feet above Keel Creek.^[2] The masonry shows that those who worked on the bridge were either skilled stonemasons or had perhaps developed their skills working on previous bridge projects.^[2] The stones were cut with sharp edges, which gives the bridge a finer appearance than the other Coal County bridges.^[2] The bridge has extruded mortar joints, which is a feature no other Coal County WPA structure has.^[2]