Also pictured is the bridge over the White River, approved for construction on May 25, 1903. The Army Corps of Engineers determined that the White River was a navigable stream, so a turn span 285 feet long was designed into the 1091 foot long bridge (not including the short five panel timber approaches at each end). A contract was let out to the Phoenix Bridge Company, and the materials for construction were floated up the river on steamboat-powered barges. By June 1, 1904 the bridge was in service after a minor setback on March 24, 1904 when a flash flood caused a 27 foot rise in the river washing away the false work under one of the 80 foot girder spans, dropping the span into the river. The turn span was not yet complete, lacking the turning machinery. By June 20, 1904 the turn span was completed, tested, and never turned again. The arrival of the railroad in Cotter all but killed off the river barge business. Typical power north of Cotter in MP's steam era was double-headed 2-8-0's.

The bridge was built in 1903 by the Phoenix Bridge Company, and includes a 285 foot long turn span, deemed necessary by the Army Corps of Engineers as a result of river barge traffic, which in addition to moving commodities up and down the river, also brought in the steel for the constuction of this bridge. The river makes a 90 degree bend at this point. To the right, the railroad was built on the banks of the river for 40-50 miles or so, but to the left, the railroad ascends a steady 1% grade for the next ten miles. The first three spans to the right are level, as is the turn span and the first span to the left, but the next six deck girder spans begin rising at two plus feet in 320 feet. The total length of the bridge, not including the short five panel timber approach trestles at each end, is 1091 feet, 7½ inches. The turn span turned just once since built, for testing, and never turned again. The river barge traffic disappeared upon arrival of the railroad in Cotter.

This bridge was built by the White River Railway (the construction company) for the Saint Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway, later owned by the MP, then conveyed to the UP in the 1984 merger, and became the property of the newly formed Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad (MNA) in 1992.

One of the reasons for the Cotter roundhouse was the lay of the land. From Batesville to Cotter, the route was built along the banks of the White River, and followed the slightly uphill course to the foothills of the Ozark Mountains at Cotter. So more power was needed to get the trains out of Cotter and up into the Ozark Mountains (really, just steep hills). The MP favored Consolidation locomotives (2-8-0), so for a period of time, westbound trains arriving in Cotter had their locomotives replaced with double-headed 2-8-0s. According to Walter (Mike) Adams book, 'The White River Railway', the assets of the White River Railway were conveyed to the St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern, and later, the Missouri Pacific. The roundhouse was first planned under the White River Railway, constructed under the StLIM&S, and completed under MP ownership. Here are a few quotes from the book: 'The company did announce that the roundhouse at Crane would be identical to the one at Cotter and would be built from the same blueprints and by the same B&B forces, just as soon as they finished the work at Cotter. Like everything else on the division, the work on the roundhouse at Cotter suffered from the attentions of the old river. In early March, 1906 a rise threatened to inundate the new structure and less than a month later high winds blew down a portion of the roundhouse walls. Notwithstanding this, the work went on and in late April, 1906 certain B&B crews started moving out of Cotter for Crane. On July 4, 1906, the new turntable was placed in service at Cotter. This eliminated the temporary table installed when it became necessary to remove the wye track to make room for the roundhouse. The old table was far from satisfactory and the crews heartily welcomed the new one. The new table was a standard Philadelphia Bridge Works steel deck girder, 74 feet and 6 inches long. The table was hand operated and the pit was enclosed with a concrete wall and the floor was paved with brick. The concrete pedestal was poured on a footing of deeply driven pilings. An identical table was installed at Crane. The roundhouse was still not complete, being held up waiting for some vital machinery and tools, but when the turntable was completed, engines could be run in out of the weather and some servicing carried out. When a big engine showed up, say a Spot or 1 Class locomotive, everyone within shouting distance was rounded up to man the 'push sticks'. When the 1200's (2-8-2's) arrived on the north end of the division in 1927, after fighting their weight for two years, management finally approved an AFE (Authority For Expenditures) in October 1929 to install an air-operated tractor. Since the cost of this installation was only $1135.98, one wonders why it took so long to get the AFE approved. It sure cut down on the incidence of hernias among the work force at the Cotter roundhouse. In October 1950 the Division was dieselized, Engine #14 (2-8-0) left Cotter under steam on Train #269 headed for Newport and the Arkansas Division, and an era ended. The Cotter roundhouse was closed, no more would the flooding of the White River coat the floor with a foot of mud, no more would the 'big whistle' signal a train 'in the ditch'. The roundhouse, coal chutes, and water tanks were on a standby basis. Before the end of the year (1950), all machinery was dismantled and moved to Sedalia.

The bridge was built in 1903, with the survey work and planning begun by the White River Railway, which was purchased by the Saint Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railway on March 26, 1903. At the time, this location was known as Lake's Ferry, but the name was changed to Cotter, named after William Cotter, a manager on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Both the StLIM&S and MP were interests of Jay Gould, and the purpose of the bridge and route was to connect the two properties. The Army Corps of Engineers determined that the White River was navigable, so a turn span was built to allow passage of river traffic, which all but disappeared after the arrival of the railroad. When the bridge was completed, the span was turned just once for testing, and never turned again. It may appear that there is plenty of room for river barges to pass below, but before the dam was built about ten miles upstream, spring floods would raise the river to within a few feet of the bottom of the bridge, flooding the railroad yard and roundhouse just a few hundred yards downstream.