White River Campground History

In 1991, the Hamilton County Parks and Recreations Department (HCPR) purchased White River Park and Campground from the Ping Family. This 26 acre property was purchased as an existing campground. It contained 100 campsites, a camp store, fishing pier, boat ramp, playground, picnic area, and tent camping area. Modifications and upgrades included shelters, bathhouse and restroom facility, laundry facility, riverbank stabilization, campsite improvements, and pond construction.

Campground Amenities

Currently, White River Campground has 106 modern and primitive campsites, playground, large group facilities, laundry facilities, RV hook-up, hiking trails, canoe launch, fishing, river views and access, bath and shower facilities, and picnic shelters and tables.

The Patterson Historic Bridges of Strawtown Koteewi Park

Connecting the Past, Present and Future

The majestic blue bridges connecting Strawtown Koteewi Park and White River Campground are the result of a fifteen-year restoration project, undertaken by Hamilton County Parks and Recreation and completed in 2016. The bridges provide enhanced accessibility and safety for the public by connecting the park and the campground, while preserving key pieces of Indiana’s transportation history. The span is comprised of three historic steel truss bridges. Two of the bridges were dismantled and moved and rebuilt at this location. The smallest, center span was built based on its original 1890 plans, with direct ties to Hamilton County.

Washington County Bridge 113

This Triple Intersection Warren Through Truss bridge was built in 1898 by the Chicago Bridge Company to cross the Blue River near Fredericksburg in Washington County, Indiana. Its two main trusses use three Warren Truss systems superimposed on each other and offset (hence, Triple Intersection Warren). Ours is the only truss of its kind in Indiana.
Warren Truss
After the Pratt Truss, the Warren Truss has been the second most common historic truss configuration. This design, originally developed in 1848 by James Warren and Willoughby Monzoni, featured alternating diagonal members forming a repeating “V” pattern and usually had riveted connections.
Lattice Truss
When multiple Warren Trusses are superimposed, with each system being offset a bit from the others, a lattice truss is
formed. The term encompasses trusses employing any number of superimposed Warren Trusses. Our span, being a Triple Intersection Warren, is one particular kind of lattice truss.

Hamilton County Bridge 21

This Plate Leg Girder bridge was built in 1890 by the Indiana Bridge Co. It carried County Road 900 W over Buck Creek. It was rebuilt new using original plans found in the Ball State University archives. In the Plate Leg design, the girders deepen as they
approach the ends and brace the abutments against soil pressures. It is the only successful bridge style invented by a Hoosier (Solomon Godman), and is the sole Plate Leg Girder remaining in Indiana.

Wayne County Bridge 229

This “American Standard” style pin-connected Pratt Truss bridge came from Wayne County, Indiana. It was built by the New Castle Bridge Co. in 1904, and carried Charles Road over Martindale Creek. The company moved to Indianapolis in 1902, where the bridge was actually constructed, instead of where its plaque implies.
Pratt Truss
The Pratt Truss was developed by Thomas and Caleb Pratt in 1844 and is one of the two most common truss configurations. A Pratt Truss has diagonal members that angle toward the center and bottom of the span. In a pin-connected truss, each tension bar loops around a large pin at each end. This made assembly in the field easier.

Thanks to those that contributed to the success of this extraordinary project:
VS Engineering • Jim Barker • USI Consultants • Halverson Construction Co., Inc. • Washington Co. and Wayne Co. Commissioners • The Federal Highway Administration