Bridges play a key role in the history of Eagle County, Colorado. From the first rickety wooden structures that miners and homesteaders built in the 1880s to the magnificent steel arch constructed at Red Cliff in 1940, bridges are a record of the evolution of a rugged mountain county. They tell a story of ingenuity, perserverance, and architectural trends in a rapidly changing environment. This is a book not only about historic bridges, but also a rural county eager to prove its committment to progress. Bridges do more than span rivers and connect roads-- they also link the present to the past.