Caddo Lake Drawbridge, Vertical-lift bridge at Mooringsport, Louisiana.

The Caddo Lake Drawbridge is a vertical-lift bridge in Mooringsport that crosses the water with a central section designed to raise upward for vessel passage. The metal structure allows tall boats and barges to pass underneath when the lifting mechanism operates.

The bridge was constructed in 1914 by the Midland Bridge Company, replacing a ferry operation that had served the area before. It became an essential route for early motor vehicles crossing this Louisiana waterway.

In summer 1941, before the United States entered World War II, the Army held maneuvers around Mooringsport. Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and George S. Patton led the Red and Blue armies in a mock "capture" of the bridge, and the troops bombed it with sacks of flour.

The structure was converted to a pedestrian walkway in 1995, providing visitors with a clear viewing point over the water. From this location, you can observe the surrounding Louisiana waterways and watch for wildlife activity typical of the region.

The bridge is the only surviving example of its type in Louisiana, as determined in the 1991 Historic American Engineering Record evaluation. Its design descends directly from Waddell's 1893 vertical-lift concept, first built in Chicago as the South Halsted Street Bridge.