Motorists who roam off the beaten path and

find themselves driving along Arkansas

Highway 187 northwest of

Eureka Springs



encounter one of the true treasures of the

Southern road. The historic Beaver Bridge,

sometimes called the "Little Golden Gate" of

Arkansas, carries Highway 187 traffic across

the White River and is the last suspension

bridge of its type in the state.



Built in 1949, the beautiful old bridge is 554

feet long and only 11 feet wide. Because it is

so narrow, traffic can only move one way at a

time across the span.



Located at the little town of Beaver, Arkansas,

which at last count had fewer than 100

residents, the bridge is a unique feature of

the historic and mysterious Ozarks. Its small

size, though, is part of what makes Beaver

such a special place. Historic and nestled

amongst the rolling mountains, the town

features not only the bridge, but also a very

t

own run waterfront park

that features 33 RV

spaces.



In fact, if Beaver looks a bit familiar, there is a

reason. The suspension bridge was featured

in the movie

Elizabethtown

and the nearby

railroad bridge was used in the made for

television mini-series,

The Blue and the Gray.





The river crossing actually has a rich history

dating back to well before the Civil War. A

settlement named Rector's Place existed on

the site as early as 1847 and in 1850 the

community gained its name when Wilson A.

Beaver settled on the present town site.



Beaver operated a ferry, inn and grist mill on

the White River and his family witnessed the

passing of some of the most dramatic events

in American history. In 1857, for example, the

wagons of the ill-fated Fancher Party crossed

the White River at Beaver. The people of the

wagon train were brutally murdered in Utah

at what became known as the Mountain

