The National Road and US 40 bridges over Big Walnut Creek in Putnam County, Indiana

I keep coming back to the National Road at Reelsville, in Putnam County, Indiana. The road at this place has quite a history, which I unpacked in this article long ago. In short, in 1875 a bridge near there over Big Walnut Creek was washed out in a major and wide-ranging flood. Rather than rebuilding it, Putnam County officials rerouted the National Road, having it turn north briefly to cross that creek over an existing covered wooden bridge. This made the National Road more treacherous in this area. First, the road leading to the bridge was steeply downhill. Second, the new alignment crossed a railroad track a couple of times before it rejoined the National Road’s original alignment. I found a photograph of the covered bridge. Here is is, I believe photographed from the south, i.e., westbound along the National Road. This bridge was destroyed on April 5, 1929, when a heavy truck struck it. Here’s the story, from The Brazil Daily Times of April 26, 1929. Use the arrows to see the four…