Tragedy and Beauty, a tale of two bridges

In 1889 the Columbia Bridge Company, of Dayton, was contracted to build a bridge across the Little Miami at Mathers Mill at a cost of $5,400. What followed is one of the saddest tales that ever took place along the river. As construction neared completion it began to rain. And it rained off and on for two weeks. Even though the river became swollen with high water the work went on unabated. A temporary trestle was built on which the completed span was to rest while the permanent supports were erected. Finally this was built and on the morning of Monday, January 20, 1890 the underpinnings of the bridge were being cut thru and the bridge was being lowered to its final resting place on the new permanent supports. But just as the last few connections were being cut the high water swept away the temporary trestle and the bridge toppled into the river. Soon a head count revealed that William Debord was missing. He was soon found pinned under the wreckage of the bridge with just his head above the icy January flood waters. Several men held his head up for hours as workers struggled in vain to free him from the twisted iron work of what remained of the bridge. It was reported that a Henry Breen held Debord's head for at least three hours himself and several others took their turns as well as the doomed man slowly succumbed to injury and hypothermia. I cannot imagine the mental scars these men must have carried with them for the rest of their days.



Today a new bridge stands in place of the old one. And of course local legend has the place being haunted by Debord's ghost. Just upstream now is a campground and campers have claimed to have heard his ghost moaning in the night. I cannot say if this is true but it seems if any place has a right to be haunted it's certainly here.

Upstream just a couple miles from this melancholy bridge stands what has to be the prettiest bridge on the whole river the Corwin M. Nixon covered bridge.







Here at the bridge the state has a river access that includes a parking lot,a broad path down to the river and thankfully nothing else. There are a couple riffles right above the bridge that hold a few fish but are a bit shallow.



The bottom here holds an abundance of crayfish and the last time I was there someone was seining the river right at access and making quite a haul.









The best fishing I've found is to wade upstream. Here the river splits pouring around a large island. At the top of this, in the riffle is built a dam of river stones. This dam has a opening about ten feet across that channels the current into the hole below.







Here I've caught most of the different gamefish in the river. A small crankbait produces a smallmouth bass or two most trips. And I've fished nightcrawlers here, throwing them out unweighted and letting the current wash them downstream. This has produced a channel or two, plus drum and several different species of sucker.









Here, above such streams as Ceaser's Creek and Todd's Fork, the river is much smaller and easily waded but still full of life and full of fish.